Dancer Girl
by natzbadfairy
Summary: Meredith is a Dancer and Derek is still Derek, Still McDreamy. when They meet things are rocky. Please read and review. Not as bad as it sounds and i suck at summeries : rated for later chapters
1. One hard fall

-1**Hello! This is a fan fic I came up with while dancing around my room! Always fun! Meredith is a professional dancer. Derek is still Derek and is still Mc Dreamy! Hope you enjoy. All reviews are welcome. )**

Meredith peeled the thick red jumper off and pulled her hair up into a tight bun. Her black sports bra was tight fitting, showing off her curves. Her clients weren't due for another thirty minutes but she loved coming to the hall early to remember her own dancing days. The lights were out, her grey tracksuit bottoms almost lighting up in the moonlight. She turned the music on and walked into the centre of the hall. The large wall of mirrors disappeared in her mind and all she could see was darkness. All her cares and worries gone. As the beat of the song sped up, so did her body. She started spinning, her body finally releasing itself. The music stopped suddenly, causing her to jump.

'What the hell do you want?'

'I told you never to dance again,'

'Jason, please…it's not like anybody can see me,'

'I don't care, I told you never to dance again,'

'Fine, I'll never dance again. It's not like I can. You put a stop to that,'

'What? You can't prove I did anything,'

'You dropped me in the middle of a lift. The easiest lift we used to do,'

'My hand slipped,'

'Yeah, course it did. Look just leave me to it. You got the championship with Paula, just let me live my life in peace,'

'If only I could,' Jason walked forward, grabbing Meredith's hair.

'No more dancing if you want to keep walking,' Jason threw her on the floor and walked out, hitting the music back on as he went. Meredith just lay on the floor, letting the music play over and over again.

'Meredith?' Meredith sat up at the sound of Lindsey's voice.

'You ok?' Meredith stood up and fixed her hair.

'Yeah, just fell over and couldn't be bothered getting up. The rest of the girls here?'

'They are down the stairs, parking cars and getting changed. You know what they're like. You sure you're ok?'

'Yeah. What do you fancy doing today? Fast? Slow?'

'Definitely fast. Good beat one too,'

'Your wish is my command. Hey Sarah, Carol. Get ready, we're starting in five,' Meredith slipped off into the bathroom and checked her face, making sure the stress wasn't visible.

'Right ladies lets get warmed up,' Meredith slowly stretched and helped the woman move around, checking that they didn't hurt themselves.

'Ok, I've been told to do fast today, so we'll do the every time we touch routine. We've not done that in a few weeks so lets see what you can remember,' Meredith hit the play button and the song Every time we touch started blaring out. Meredith smiled mischievously and started dancing but she watched as the other women kept up with her, making the same mistakes she used to make when she first learnt the song. As the beat fastened so did the number of woman stopping and slipping to the side, unable to keep up. Half way through the song it was only her and Lindsey left, both of them laughing as they did so. Lindsey slipped off, knowing Meredith was in her element. Her eyes were closed her face smiling gently. As she opened her eyes she realised she was the only one still dancing. She stopped suddenly, the women all cheering.

'C'mon lets get you ladies dancing,' they all pushed themselves up off the wall and walked over to the middle of the floor.

'Let's break it down into loads of bits. The first part is the first minute. Watch Lindsey's hips,' Lindsey's face went scarlet as she moved in time with the music and Meredith did the same.

'Ok, now you try?' The four women tried along with Meredith and Lindsey.

'Ok, next bit,' the whole dance took over an hour but Meredith knew the women would appreciate it.

'I'll see you guys next week. Same time,' Meredith was packing up the room when she realised Lindsey was standing watching her.

'You ok?'

'I'm fine but I wanted you to show me the mysterious move you keep missing out,'

'I don't know what you're talking about?'

'You so do. The bit just before the end. You always slow down but as soon as that bits over you speed up and it's like your just improvising,'

'Truthfully, I can't hold myself up because of…well; lets just say I can't hold myself up anymore,'

'Show me…let me be your model,'

'Seriously?'

'Seriously,' Meredith nodded her head and pulled her hair back. Slipping her top off she waited for Lindsey to put her hair up.

'How strong are your arms?'

'Considering I'm a fire-fighter, quite strong,'

'Ok, can you hold yourself up?' Lindsey went down onto her arms and held herself up.

'Ok, you back flip?'

'Yip,'

'Multiple?'

'I think so,'

'Ok. If I fall or my arm gives way, don't panic. I'm trained to fall properly,' Lindsey smiled and watched as Meredith started the dance. As it lead up to the move Meredith could feel the nerves building but she knew deep down she couldn't be nervous or the whole move would go wrong. Meredith took a sharp breath in and started flipping backwards, her hands hitting off the ground in time with the music. As she landed on the floor, stumbling back only once, a feeling or euphoria came over her.

'That was like amazing. You did five back flips and still managed to be in time with the music,'

'Yeah well,' Meredith rubbed her elbow; the fall memory coming back still sent the pain down her arm.

'How do you do it?' Meredith put the music on and guided Lindsey through it. When she flipped back she could feel her legs going over her head over and over again and could hear her body still going in time with the music.

'Go you. That usually takes about six weeks to master. You're a fast learner,'

'That I am,'

'Go home, relax for the night,'

'My brothers picking me up. If he arrives tell him I'm down the stairs and I'll be up in a couple of minutes,'

'Yeah sure,' Meredith waited for Lindsey to leave before turning the music back on and starting the dance again. She turned the lights off and let the world slip from her, letting herself go, knowing that when the song stopped, her life would come back, Jason in tow. As she started flipping backwards she felt her elbow go from underneath her. She turned as she fell through the air, protecting her arms as she went. Her head hit the floor first. As she opened her eyes she could feel the blood running from her head, her elbow throbbing.

'Crap,'

'That was one hell of a fall you took,' Meredith sat up to the stranger kneeling beside her.

'Yeah. God that hurt more that I remember,' He eased her up and onto the bench at the side of the room.

'Derek,'

'Meredith. Your Lindsey's brother?'

'That would be me. I want to get you checked out. That was one big hit,'

'I used to do this every other day. It's nothing,'

'Sorry but I really want to get you checked out, just make sure,'

'I can't…people ask questions…plus I don't want to wait In the ER for the next four hours,'

'You don't have to,' Meredith stood up but fell back down onto the seat, the room beginning to spin.

'Ok, you're going to the hospital. I'll take you in,'

'No, look I'm fine,'

'You do realise that this is a neuro surgeon telling you to get checked out and that if you don't I will have to personally drag you in there myself,'

'Yeah, yeah. I'm ok,' Derek lifted Meredith's bags and guided her down to the car. Lindsey was standing at the door, her hair wet from her shower.

'What happened?'

'Forgot how to land,' Lindsey took Meredith's bag from Derek and threw it in the back of the car. Meredith's legs buckled from under her. Derek caught onto her, not letting go of her waist.

'Ok, Lins, can you page the Nazi and tell her to have a wheel chair ready and also clear a space on a CT,' Lindsey ran round and helped Derek eased Meredith into the car.

'I really should of practised falling. It's been 3 years since I competed so I really should of practised,' Meredith sat in the front of the car, her head resting back on the head rest.

'Meredith, I need you to stay awake for me,' Derek was checking Meredith every few minutes. She was awake but not responding properly.

'Derek, what's wrong with her?'

'I think she could have concussion. I don't think it's anything worse than that,'

'Is she going to be ok?'

'Yeah, she'll be ok,' Derek lifted Meredith out the car and into the wheel chair that bailey had sitting waiting for her.

'What happened?'

'She's a dancer. Her elbow gave way as she fell. I want her for a CT and get a banana bag set up. Get her into an exam room as well,'

'Yes sir,' Lindsey followed Derek in, staying beside Meredith. Derek slipped off and got changed into scrubs. Going along to the end exam room he smiled at Lindsey.

'You can go in. Bailey only eats people on bad days,' Lindsey smiled and hit her brother's arm.

'Hey!' Bailey handed Derek the scans and a small smile crept across his face.

'Looks like you have a concussion. Nothing more,' Meredith smiled and pulled her fingers through her tuggy blood stained hair.

'Ugh, why me? This was his fault,'

'Who's?' Meredith faltered

'Who's fault?'

'My ex dance partner. I was the main attraction when we went to competitions so he dropped me three days before our championship. Had to stop dancing. Destroyed my elbow,'

'That's why it gave way,'

'Yeah. He found me dancing like I was when I fell but warned me to stop. This is my punishment,'

'Well if you being able to dance like that is a punishment, god must really love you,' Meredith smiled at Derek.

'Yeah well, we angels are generally on his good side,'

'I bet you are,'


	2. Stitches

-1Meredith looked in the wall sized mirror at the small stitches in her head. A week had past since the fall and she was getting her stitches out after her class. Lindsey was the first to arrive as usual but she didn't have her stuff with her.

'Hey. Listen the girls have said that you should spend the rest of the week on a break,'

'I'm fine,'

'We know you're fine but you need time off so we'll be back next week ok?'

'Fine but it just means I'll have to make you guys work your asses off next week,'

'We can deal with that,' Lindsey disappeared, leaving Meredith at a loose end.

'I heard that you had a free day and I was wondering if I could take you for dinner before I take your stitches out?' Meredith turned and smiled at Derek.

'Who told you that?'

'A certain sister of mine who doesn't know I'm here,'

'We'll you may have just got yourself a date,' Derek smiled and followed Meredith out, waiting for her as she closed the studio up.

'So where do you want to go?'

'Any where but Chinese,' Derek opened the car door and gently took Meredith's hand.

'how about we get Take away and we go and watch the ferryboats?' Meredith smiled.

'Ferryboats? I love ferryboats…used to go out on them when I was younger,'

'I have a thing for Ferryboats,' Meredith caught a glimpse of the Mc Dreamy smile and she could feel her stomach flutter. Pulling into the Ferryboats, the smell of Italian food filled the car, Meredith becoming more and more hungry. Derek carried the bag down to the bench that sat at the edge of the pier.

'Old franks bench,' Derek looked at Meredith.

'When I was younger, this was where I ran to when me and my mom fought. She would never find me and I even slept In the old boat house. But there was this old guy called Frank and everyday, he sat on the bench and talked to his wife. He would have hour long conversations with her. One day I asked him why he was here and he said that she loved ferryboats and that when she died that she would be by the ferryboats,' Derek smiled at the story, the image of the old man visible in his head.

'He was really nice…always giving me money and convincing me never to run from a fight but every time I came out he would congratulate me on being the bigger person and walking away from the fight,' Meredith started eating the pasta slowly, watching Derek as he stared out onto the horizon.

'why do you like ferryboats?' Derek turned to face Meredith.

'My dad had an obsession with water. He hated it and couldn't even think about getting on a boat. We had a fight over my mom and what I thought about how she had handled a fight. We were standing up on the ridge, my dad waiting for my uncle Gerry. I walked away after he screamed at me and I went on a ferryboat. He couldn't get me and it was only when I was out there on the water that I realised how peaceful it really was,'

'Just like me then. Running from the fight,'

'Just like you,' Meredith emptied the tub and walked over to the edge of the pier. It was pitch dark, the darkness falling suddenly.

'Come with me,' Derek was confused.

'Where?'

'Just come with me,' Derek took her hand as she lead him down onto the beach. Slipping her shoes off, she told him to do the same, not letting him know what they were about to do. Meredith lead him further out onto the beach, until the sand underneath them was wet.

'Just go with this ok,' Derek nodded his head. Meredith took his hand and placed it on her waist the other one still in her hand.

'You know how to dance?'

'I never dance in public,'

'But do you know how to dance?'

'Kind of,' Meredith reached up and whispered into Derek's ear.

'Dance with me,' Derek smiled and slowly spun Meredith around, surprising her. She leaned up against him and moved in time with him. She could feel the sand between her toes and the way his body slipped with each step. He never faltered once, always keeping her moving. Slowly they stopped. Meredith looked up her eyes linking with Derek. She smiled gently before kissing him. Derek gently pulled away and brushed her hair out of her face.

'Was this what you expected?' Meredith seemed confused

'Stitches and kissing on the beach?' Meredith laughed gently before leaning back up and kissing Derek again, her hands finding the side of his face. Slowly they started dancing again, Meredith's head resting on his chest.

'We should get your stitches out,' Meredith looked up to Derek and smiled broadly. They walked back up to the car, hand in hand.

'You gonna be taking them out for me?'

'I wouldn't trust anybody else,' Meredith pinned Derek up against the side of the car. Derek went to turn her but she pressed her body against his.

'You take out my stitches and you'll get a surprise,'

'What is it?'

'You'll see,' Derek chuckled slightly.

'Let's get these stitches out then,'


	3. Painting

-1Meredith rolled over onto her side and watched as Derek's eyes slowly fluttered open.

'Hey,' Meredith pressed her lips against Derek's, her hand resting on his side.

'How's your head?'

'We'll considering you took the stitches out last night…fine,' Meredith slipped out the bed, pulling the white sheet with her, wrapping it around her tightly.

'What are you doing today?'

'Well, I am off work for the next week. I took the rest of my holidays from work. You?'

'Your sister cancelled all my classes meaning I also have the week off,'

'I can feel a but coming…a really big one,'

'I have to move out of my flat,'

'Why?'

'Bought the flat next to the studio…also bought the studio so it's kina moving house week,'

'How you moving all you're stuff?'

'My car?' Derek out stretched his hand to Meredith, who took It and came back down onto the bed with Derek.

'I mean, who is helping you?'

'No one,'

'You are in no way fit to be lifting boxes with your elbow,'

'I have a support for it, I'm not an invalid,' Derek sat up and pulled Meredith over in front of him, her body resting up against his.

'Well, I know that from last night,' Meredith chuckled to herself.

'But you can't move house on your own,'

'I don't have a choice,'

'Yes you do. And he happens to be a brain surgeon,'

'You know him well?'

'Very,'

'Is he good looking?'

'Very,' Meredith and Derek's legs became in twined.

'I might just have to take his offer up then. It does involve painting though,'

'He is a guy of many talents. Painting happening to be one of them,' Meredith slipped her hands up and grazed the side of his face.

'Thank you,' Leaning down gently, Derek kissed Meredith, his lips lingering slightly.

'So what do you want to do today?'

'I need to go and look at the flat, get that organised for moving in. You up for Painting?'

'Depends,'

'On what?'

'Wither or not I get the roller or the brush?'

'What do you prefer using?' Meredith turned to face Derek and kneeled down in front of him.

'Brush,'

'Then Brush you shall have,' Meredith slipped forward, her legs wrapping themselves around Derek's waist.

'Until then, what do you want to do?' Derek ran his fingers through her hair that was flowing down her back.

'I could think of a few things,' Meredith let the sheet fall to her waist, Derek's hands finding the place on the bottom of he back that gave her shivers.

'You are amazing,' Derek fell back onto the bed, Meredith still on top of him. She was grinding her hips against his when his front door was being chapped.

'You had better get that,'

'No,'

'Yes, it could be important,' Meredith rolled over and pulled the sheet up around herself. Derek pulled on his black sweat pants and went down to open the door.

'Derek, what the hell took you so long?'

'Lindsey, nice to see you,' Derek rubbed his face and followed Lindsey through to the kitchen.

'Where were you last night?'

'When did you become my minder?'

'Since you were born. So?'

'Lindsey, I'm kina busy,'

'Who's the woman?' Derek smiled at Lindsey.

'Who says it's a woman?' Lindsey's mouth shot up into a smile.

'Who is she?'

'No one you know,'

'Liar,'

'I am not a liar. I would love to stay and chat but I have company. So go now. Please,' Lindsey lifted her keys off the table and headed to the front door.

'I'll get it out of you eventually,' Derek laughed to himself before going back up the stairs. Meredith was lying on the bed, the sheet draped over her lightly. Derek smiled and went back under the sheet with her, her body fitting in perfectly with his. Meredith kissed the line of his neck, eventually down to his collar bone.

'What time is it?' Derek looked at the clock beside his bed.

'Twelve thirty,' Meredith's head shot up.

'Seriously?'

'Seriously. What's wrong?'

'I was supposed to be having lunch with your sister in thirty minutes,'

'Isn't that a shame,' Derek rolled Meredith so that he was above her, supporting himself up.

'I have to phone her and cancel or something. I can't leave her sitting in the café,' Derek leaned down gently, and kissed Meredith.

'I have to phone her,' Meredith sat up and pulled her cell phone out her pocket.

'You need to be really quiet,' Meredith opened her phone and groaned.

'What's wrong?'

'Jason's what's wrong,'

'Ex?'

'ex dance partner…guy that ended the whole dancing for competitions,'

'What's wrong?'

'Has sent me a text saying I've to stop dancing or he'll stop me. Usual crap,'

'You want me to deal with him,' Meredith kissed Derek gently.

'Thank you but no. there's more than one way to get him. Steroids are banned from competitions…shame he's a heavy user,' Derek raised his eyebrows.

'Yeah,' Meredith dialled Lindsey's number and cleared her throat as it rang.

'Lindsey shepherd,'

'Lindsey, It's Meredith,'

'Hey, how's your head?'

'Yeah it's good,'

'Did you see any one with Derek yesterday? A Woman?'

'No why?'

I went round to see him and he had some one there. I just wondered if you had seen any one with him,'

'Nope, there was no one with him,'

'Ok,'

'Listen; can I be a pain in the ass and cancel?'

'Yeah sure. You got lucky?' Meredith smiled and grazed the side of Derek's face with her hand.

'Very,'

'Go for it. I'll give you a call later in the week; we can meet up then,'

'Thanks Lindsey, I owe you one,'

'Yes, and it involves lunch during the week,'

'Yeah, Bye,'

'Have fun. Bye,' Meredith closed her phone and leaned her forehead against Derek's.

'I hate lying to your sister,'

'Technically you didn't lie. You just didn't go into detail,'

'She asked me if I had seen any body with you yesterday. I said no,'

'And you didn't,'

'Yeah, that's because I was her,'

'why don't we just tell her?'

'where would the fun in that be? I like being sneaky,'

'I bet you do. Now do you have to pick anything up for sorting the flat?'

'paint, and lots of it,' Meredith slipped her jeans on, Derek watching her.

'Why are you watching me?'

'Because you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,'

'Is that so?' Derek nodded his head and pulled his t-shirt up over his head. Meredith lifted her bag off the floor and her shirt off the banister.

'If your sister is going to make early morning calls like that, we have to be more careful where we throw clothes,'

'that's not really something you tend to think about though,'

'true,' Meredith left Derek and went down to make fresh coffee. Meredith lifted Derek's phone off the wall.

'Rose Bridge residential home,'

'Hi, This is Meredith Grey, My mother Ellis is a resident. Can I please speak to Miss Henry please,'

'One moment please,' Meredith listened to the cheap music when it stopped, an older sounding woman picking up the phone.

'Ms Grey,'

'Hi, I was wondering how my mother was getting on?'

'She's not been as lucid as she normally is so we are getting the homes physician to look at her this afternoon. But apart from that she's ok. Are you coming in to see her?'

'I'm actually moving house this week but I will try and be in to see her. Has she been asking for me or has that stopped?'

'That stopped last week,'

'Ok, thank you,'

'If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to call me,'

'I won't thank you,' Meredith hung the phone up and leaned up against the counter.

'You ok?'

'Yeah…yeah I'm good,' Derek lifted the coffee off the table and followed Meredith out to the car.

'Where do you want to go for paint?'

'Anywhere…has to have a big selection though,' Derek turned onto the freeway and down into the centre of Seattle. Meredith realised where he was going and started watching him driving, his eyes catching hers only twice. Meredith walked round to Derek and slipped her hand into his, his skin soft to the touch. Meredith followed Derek to the paint bit, her eyes fixated on his face.

'Hi, I'm wondering about getting about six tins of paint but I need good quality stuff,'

'What colours are you thinking?' he young boy smiled broadly at Meredith

'Red, Purple, Blue, Lavender, Green and Indigo. I also need a large tin of white gloss to do all the wood work in the house,'

'Ok, if you's would just like to wait here, I'll get your paint for you,' Meredith smiled as the young teenager wondered off.

'He was too optimistic for someone selling paint,'

'He was hitting on you,' Meredith looked at Derek.

'Are you jealous?'

'I don't get jealous,'

'Lair,' Meredith opened the first tin of paint that the young boy put down and shook her head.

'We do colour mixing, that's just the basic colour,'

'Oh right,' after thirty minutes of mixing paint, Meredith left with Derek, each of them carrying three tins.

'I think it's sweet that you got jealous,'

'I don't do jealous,'

'Yeah right,' Derek's hand rested on Meredith's back as she put the paint in the trunk of the car.

'now what?'

'Now we get to do the fun bit,' Meredith leaned up to Derek's ear.

'Now we get to paint…and painting means?'

'We get covered in paint?' Meredith smiled at Derek.

'Painting means…very little clothes,'


	4. Left outside Alone

-1'You get that the paint is supposed to go on the wall and not me?' Meredith laughed at the splats of red paint that now covered Derek's shirt, making him match with the living room walls.

'Yeah, but I hoping that eventually you'll take it off,' Derek ran the paint brush down over Meredith.

'You first,' Meredith slipped the shirt up over head, revealing her pink bra to Derek.

'Now you,' Derek laughed and pulled his shirt off, throwing it on top of Meredith's.

'I have the best idea,' Derek looked at Meredith.

'You put paint on my trousers I will have to get you,'

'Damn. You always stop my fun,' Derek walked over and put Meredith over his shoulder.

'DEREK!' Meredith painted a smiling face on his back, the paint running down his back. Derek dipped his paint brush in the paint and painted a red love heart on her ass.

'Aww, you drew something cute and I drew what now looks like Hannibal Lector,'

'I always was the cute one of the family,' Meredith started laughing.

'Yeah, right,' Meredith undone her trousers and slipped them off, her pink shorts falling down.

'I had a feeling you might do something like that so I came prepared,'

'Yes you did,' Derek watched as Meredith stood on her tip toes to paint the high bit of the wall.

'Get on my back,'

'Derek…'

'Get on my back,' Meredith climbed onto Derek's back and realised that she could now reach the high bits.

'You are just too clever,'

'it had been said,' Meredith leaned round and gently kissed Derek. Pulling away she smiled.

'Thank you,'

'What for?'

'everything,'

'I've not done anything,'

'Yes you have and It's even better that you don't see what you've done,'

'Ok,'

'No, thank you. The flat, the paint, the stitches,'

'I would have done it anyway,'

'I know but you deserve a proper thank you,'

'And what does it involve?'

'You'll see,' Meredith jumped down off Derek's back and ran through to the kitchen, bringing back through two bottles of beer.

'Here,'

'You came prepared,'

'The only thing I ever have in my fridge is beer and tequila…maybe some yoghurt too,' Meredith and Derek were laughing when Meredith's cell phone started ringing.

'Hey,'

'_Who's the hot guy?'_

'What? Lindsey there is no hot guy,'

'_Liar. Listen, have you seen Derek today?'_ Meredith became flustered.

'No,'

'_Liar,'_

'I haven't,'

'_yeah right, neither has your scarlet face,'_

'Lindsey I haven't seen Derek today,'

'_Do you know where he is?'_

'Why would i?'

'_He's gone missing and there's a bit of a family emergency,'_

'Are you ok?'

'_Yeah. If you see him or he calls tell him to get his ass over here,'_

'yeah I will,' Lindsey hung up, and Meredith turned to face Derek.

'There's some sort of family emergency…she says you've to get your ass over to the house,' Derek put the beer on the counter and pulled his ringing phone out his pocket.

'Linds, hey,'

'_Derek, you need to come over,'_

'Why what's wrong?'

'_Just…get your ass over here,'_ Derek looked down at his phone.

'I have to go,'

'Wait, you need to get changed. You're covered in paint and half naked…both of which I find a turn on but I don't think your sister will,' Derek smiled and kissed Meredith before lifting his keys and running down to his car. Meredith was left on her own, the paint still stuck to her. Looking at the floor she lifted the brush he had put down and finished off the small patch of white by covering it in red paint. Looking at the clock she realised that she hadn't eaten all day and that her stomach didn't like this. Scraping her hair back she left the apartment in search of food. The supermarket was quiet and Meredith was glad that she didn't have to show her paint covered legs off to many people. Her shirt hung loosely from her body and as she reached up to lift down a packet of cereal she could feel the cold metal of the shelf across her skin. Meredith carried the cereal, milk and tequila down to the check out. The queue was short and Meredith was out of the store within ten minutes of going in. Sitting on the hardwood flooring she sat with the radio on, finishing off the box of cereal. Looking at the hall, she attacked it with the Green paint, the dark room seeming lighter already. She stepped back and admired her handy work, no paint of the skirting board. She was tired but knew that she had to get the bed room done, along with the kitchen. The bathroom could wait, too much to cover. Throwing the dust sheets over the floor she painted the first wall in ten minutes with the indigo paint, only stopping once to see where she had missed. The radio was still playing in the back ground and Meredith was dancing along to the music when her song came on, her championship song. Turning the volume up full she turned the lights off and started painting the wall indigo while she danced along.

'_And I wonder if you know, _

_How it really feels _

_To be left outside alone_

_When it's cold out here_

_Well maybe you should know_

_Just how it feels _

_To be left to be left outside alone'_

Meredith stepped back and smiled to herself. This wasn't as bad as she had thought. The large white bedroom was beginning to look more like her by minute. Her flat door chapped, something she had looked forward too all day. The thought of someone coming to her door and not her ex dance partners.

'Now I usually have some sort of present to say sorry for disappearing like that but instead I bring tequila,' Meredith leaned forward, and kissed Derek. She took hold of his shirt and pulled him in the flat, their lips still together.

'I can accept the tequila as a sorry,' Meredith looked at Derek who was still covered in paint but who had a clean shirt on.

'See when I said covered in paint, I meant go and get a shower or something,'

'That would have been pointless,'

'Why?'

'Because then I would have had to go for another one after I have helped you finish painting,' Meredith smiled and kissed Derek again.

'Family emergency major?'

'Sister Nancy showed up from London. Her flight left twenty minutes ago,' Meredith smiled at Derek, his eyes following her as she lifted the purple tin of paint and handed Derek another brush.

'How's about you help me get the bathroom painted and I'll buy dinner,'

'Or I still help and I buy dinner,'

'I'll go with that,' Meredith painted around the door frame and smiled as she felt Derek's paint brush against her waist.

'You had better be drawing something good,' Meredith stood up and looked the mirror that was hanging off the wall. A small star was at the bottom of Meredith's back.

'You should do something like that on the wall,'

'Nah, I like painting you,' Meredith turned and finished the wall. Stepping back she sat on the edge of the free standing bath.

'You look tired,' Meredith nodded her head.

'You want pizza?'

'Yeah, go for it,' Meredith disappeared and came back five minutes later, the bottle of tequila in her hands with two glasses.

'It's looking good,'

'Of course it does, you did paint it,'

'Flattery will get you everywhere Ms Grey,' Meredith handed him and glass and filled it with the tequila as he sat at the edge of the bath.

'So, has Lindsey guessed who you're with yet?'

'Nope but she made hundreds of guesses,'

'Like what?'

'She asked if it was some one that she knew and I said no and she called me a liar,'

'That's because you are,'

'I am not,'

'You so are…I am as well though so we can be liars together,'

'As long as it's together,' Meredith took a long sip of the tequila and winced as it burned down her throat.

'God it tastes better out of a shot glass, doesn't burn so much,'

'Come here,' Meredith sat on Derek's knee and leaned back against him, his hands holding her around the waist.

'So what else do you want to paint tonight?'

'I really want to get the Kitchen done and also finish off the bedroom get properly moved into that,'

'You want your stuff over?'

'Is it not a bit late?'

'Mere, it's only eight thirty, we can go grab the boxes with your bedroom stuff and you can stay here tonight,'

'I just found a reason to keep you around,' Meredith stood up to answer the door. Derek sat on the floor, his back against the bath.

'I have Pizza,'

'Now you have my undivided attention,' Meredith sat down next to him, her back against the bath, her body against his.

'Have some Pizza,' Derek took the pizza out her hand and put it in her mouth.

'I said you,' Meredith chocked down the piece and started laughing. Slowly the pizza was finished, each of them telling stories of their pasts.

'So you actually tried to flip over his shoulders?'

'I did and my punishment was that I dislocated my shoulder,'

'Ouch,'

'Yeah, I can still move it in and out, a bit double jointed,'

'Very bendy then,' Meredith smiled

'Yeah, very bendy,' Meredith nudged Derek.

'I am going to get the Kitchen started,' Meredith pushed herself up but Derek pulled her back down.

'Derek, I have to get the kitchen started,'

'I'll do it,'

'Help me, don't do it alone,' Meredith stood up and walked through to the kitchen. The units were brand new, never used. Opening the paint, she slipped her shirt off again and pulled her hair back up. She painted around all the units and the big areas when she realised that Derek was working the other side and coming towards her. Meredith smiled at the drips of paint fell onto his head.

'You need a shower,'

'Yeah, so do you though,' Meredith disappeared and came back in.

'How long do you think this is going to take?'

'Ten minutes why?'

'Make it five…I need to get to the flat. Landlord wants to talk to me about the lease,'

'is there a problem with it?'

'Nah, he just wants me to sign it back over to him,' Derek nodded and finished the wall. Meredith watched him; his face seemed to be straight but contented.

'Lets go,'


	5. Tell him to leave

-1Meredith poured two mugs of coffee and handed one to Derek.

'I have your sister's class in an hour,'

'Ah,'

'Yeah. We should tell her,'

'Yeah…we should but together. Not just one of us…she'd freak out and just-'

'Freak out?' Derek smiled and kissed Meredith on the cheek.

'I'm gonna go through to the studio. If you need me just come through,' Meredith kissed Derek and headed out the door and along the corridor, up the winding stairs. Tying her hair up she turned the lights out and started dancing with the music. She didn't hear the door opening or the small chuckles coming from the figure that was leaning back against the wall. The music stopped suddenly, Meredith stopping almost instantly.

'What the hell do you want?'

'I told you what I want…why are you still dancing?'

'Jason, it's the only thing I've got…just let me have it,'

'No…people will start asking why you don't dance… You don't want your little secret to come out do you?'

'You wouldn't dare,' Jason walked towards Meredith, pushing her up against the wall.

'I always do the dares I'm given and if you are daring me to tell…I accept,'

'Steroids are banned from competitions. I'm sure the federation would love to hear about your habit. I can just see them stripping you of your title,'

'Don't fuck with me. I'll win in the end Meredith, I always do,' Meredith tried to get out of his grip but he held onto her elbow, his finger pressing down on the weak spot. Lindsey opened the door and looked at Meredith, the fear in her face. Meredith caught her eyes and pleaded with her. Dropping her bag, she startled Jason.

'Ah, this must be one of your students,' Lindsey walked over, her walk changing from her usually relaxed walk into a controlled, strong walk. Jason chuckled slightly.

'Let her go,'

'Is that a request?'

'No it's an order. Let go of her,' Lindsey put her hand on top of Jason's and prized his hand off her arm. His other hand caught hold of her hair but she knew it was coming. Slipping her leg behind his, she took his leg form underneath him, causing him to fall. Meredith jumped out the way, pulling Lindsey with her.

'You leave her alone…she has done nothing to you,' Meredith pulled Lindsey up into the flat.

'Who the hell was that?'

'Jason,' Meredith's hands were trembling as she opened the door. Walking into the bedroom, she took off her top and examined her elbow, the bruise growing. Pulling on the elbow support she winched sharply.

'Mere?' Meredith looked up, Lindsey standing with Derek behind her.

'I'm ok,'

'No your not,' Derek went into doctor mode and started examining her elbow.

'What the hell was that all about?'

'Lindsey, it's not important. Are you ok?' Derek looked at Lindsey and checked to see if she had a mark on her.

'I'm fine. What was his problem?' Meredith looked away from them to the floor when the front door opened. Meredith stood up and pushed Lindsey in with Derek.

'Let me handle this. Don't come out…just let me deal with this,' Derek went to object but Meredith shut the door and went along to see Jason standing in her hall, a small trickle of blood coming down from his lip.

'Can't fight your own battles now?'

'Jason, what the hell do I have to do to get you to leave me alone?'

'I want you gone…no dancing…no competitions, nothing,'

'Jason dancing is my life I'm not going to give up for you. You destroyed my life once, I'm not gonna let it happen again,' Jason's hand caught on her face, her head falling to one side.

'You always did get your own way through force,' Jason threw Meredith onto the floor, his body pinning hers to the floor.

'You will stop it if you want to keep walking…you understand?'

'No I don't and you know why? I don't care if they find out about what happened. I'm not scared of you anymore…let them find out that I had a miscarriage…I don't care,' Jason's hands rested on her neck, him only applying a small amount of pressure.

'You want to live…you give it up,' Meredith closed her eyes as his hand knocked her head. Standing up he kicked her side, his foot leaning down on her leg. Walking out the door he banged it shut. Derek flung the door open, his eyes seeing Meredith on the floor. Walking over he lifted her head.

'Linds, get me a towel…something damp as well and see if she has got band aids,' Derek turned her onto her side and pushed the hair out of her face. Meredith started coughing, Derek holding her head still. Lindsey came back and put the towel between Meredith's knees.

'Meredith, what hurts?' Meredith looked at Derek, licking the blood off her lips.

'Nothing,'

'Lindsey…the class…the girls,' Lindsey smiled and ran out, leaving Meredith on her own with Derek.

'I'm taking you to the hospital,'

'No…I'm ok,'

'Meredith you don't have a choice in this,' Derek wiped her face with the damp cloth, taking away the rest of the blood. Lifting Meredith up in his arms, he draped a blanket over her. She didn't move her body the entire way to the hospital, her body still lying against Derek. As he placed her down onto a bed, she flinched at the coldness. Derek pulled on gloves and started examining Meredith's head and body, checking her for any other injuries. As he reached her legs, she started wincing with each touch. Pulling off her trousers, Derek pushed the anger that was building up inside to the back. Her legs were black and blue, her knee sitting in a strange position.

'Linds, go and get Bailey and tell her to page Dr Torres,' Lindsey disappeared and came back a couple of minutes later, Bailey behind her.

'Shepherd, what the hell is happening with this poor girl?'

'Nothing Bailey. I need to get her checked over; CT, MRI and I want a suture kit,'

'Yes sir. Dr Torres is on her way. You gonna tell me what happened?'

'Just call security and get the cops down here,' Meredith grabbed hold of Derek's arm.

'NO…please, don't get them involved…they can't know,'

'Meredith, he has to be punished for this,'

'Please…no,' Derek nodded his head and looked at Bailey. Meredith sat up, her head spinning. After a couple of hours she was sitting up, talking to the cops.

'It's just…I didn't want to get you involved…he just losses his temper,' Derek lifted his jacket and Left Meredith alone with Lindsey. Meredith looked at Lindsey to go after him.

'Tell him to leave it…if he doesn't…tell him just to leave,'

'DEREK WAIT UP!' Derek turned to face Lindsey his hands clenched.

'She's just gonna let him get away with this but I'm not,'

'No. Kicking his head in won't solve anything, only get you into trouble. Let her deal with this her way,'

'Lindsey, he could of killed her. She may only have concussion but he tried to strangle her…he's torn a ligament in her leg so she'll be on crutches for at least 2 weeks. I'm not willing to let him get away with this,'

'She says you've to leave if you can't let this go then you've just to go,' Derek shook his head.

'Then I'm gone,' Lindsey looked at Derek in shock as he walked out of the hospital. Meredith came up behind her, her crutches alerting Lindsey to the fact she was behind her.

'He left?' Meredith's eyes were glassy, the tears falling down her face.

'Meredith,'

'Can you call me a cab…they are discharging me,'

'I'll give you a ride,'

'No, you need to go and see Derek. You're his sister, he needs you more than I do,'

'You guys…why didn't you say you's were together?'

'we were planning to tell you today,' Lindsey smiled and helped Meredith out to the lobby where she waited for her cab.

'Tell Derek to pick his stuff up later, it'll be bagged up,' Meredith eased herself into the cab and smiled at Lindsey, her eyes still glassy. Meredith listened to the music that was playing.

'Where you going to?'

'12th street, west end,' The cab driver nodded and turned the radio up.

'_I don't like to be alone in the night  
And I don't like to hear I'm wrong when I'm right  
And I don't like to have the rain on my shoes  
But I do love you  
But I do love you  
I don't like to see the sky painted grey  
And I don't like when, nothing's going my way  
And I don't like to be the one with the blues  
But I do love you  
But I do love you  
I love everything about the way your loving me  
The way you lay your head upon my shoulder when you sleep  
And I love to kiss you in the rain _

Meredith opened the door to the flat and pushed it open further with her crutch. She spotted the small puddle of blood on the floor and closed her eyes, seeing him over her body. Pitting the crutches on the floor, she shuffled about the flat, lifting all of Derek's stuff. As she laid down on the bed she looked at the indigo shirt that was lying by the side of the bed. Lifting it up, she sniffed it, inhaling Derek's scent. She missed him already. The front door opened and she sat up, her back to the door.

'Derek, your stuffs in the bag. You see anything I've left, just pick it up and take it,'

'Who's Derek?' Meredith turned to face Jason.

'Have you not done enough? I can't dance anymore…ARE YOU HAPPY NOW? YOU FINALLY GOT WHAT YOU WANTED,' Meredith stood up and balanced herself against the window.

'What did you tell the cops?'

'I didn't say anything,'

'Don't lie. I seen you talking to them,' Meredith looked at Jason, her eyes widening.

'You were watching me?'

'I had to make sure you didn't do anything stupid…go to the cops was one of them,'

'I never said anything I swear,'

'I don't believe you. Who's Derek?'

'No one…Jason, please just leave me in peace…I just want to be left alone. I gave up the championship and professional dancing for you,'

'You stop dancing and I'll stop coming round,'

'I can't stop forever. Dancing was my life before…before you dropped me. I'm not fit to dance in championships any more. The class I run is for people who have an hour to spare during the week. Nothing more,'

'Stop dancing,' Jason slammed the door shut, Meredith closing her eyes. She fell backwards onto the bed and looked at the ceiling. Derek was gone, she couldn't dance, Jason wouldn't leave her alone and she felt powerless.

'You want coffee?' Meredith looked over at Lindsey who was standing at the door holding a large mug.

'Where's Derek?'

'Probably the ferryboats…he needs time,'

'He left,'

'He loves you,' Meredith looked back at the ceiling, the plastic stars starting to glow.

'If he loved me he would of stayed,'

'that's not Derek. He needs time to process what's happening. He'll come round,'

'I have to stop dancing,'

'Why?'

'Jason…he says he won't stop till I stop and I can't live my life in fear of him…so I quit,'

'I won't let you,'


	6. Chris

-1Meredith lifted the mug off the counter and hobbled through to the studio. Flicking the lights on, she looked around, her stuff still lying for the three weeks before when her life had started to crumble. Turning the music on, she closed the door slowly and turned the lights off. She started dancing in the dark, her body in time with the music as her back arched and her feet moved rhythmically. Her body tensed as she danced faster and faster until she stopped suddenly.

'Are you here for some reason?'

'I wanted to make sure you were ok,'

'You left me three weeks ago. Why come back now?'

'You have a dance class and I don't want you to get hurt,'

'When you left I got hurt…you didn't come and see me then…why bother...just go Derek,'

'no,'

'excuse me?'

'I'm not leaving. Not until you talk to me,'

'I don't want to talk to you and I have nothing to say to you,'

'Well I want to talk to you,'

'Write it in a letter and post it.'

'No, I'm good talking,' Meredith put her hands on her hips and looked at Derek her breathing heavy.

'Are you always such a cocky jackass when your trying to get a girl back?'

'Yip. You like it?'

'Not really. Reminds me of my old maths teacher…liked to check the girls out,' Derek walked over and embraced Meredith, kissing her passionately.

'I left because I love you and don't want to see you get hurt. I didn't leave because I don't love you…the complete opposite,' Meredith smiled as Derek pulled the band out from her hair, her hair falling down her back. She leaned in and kissed him while her hands slowly found their way down his body.

'How cosy,' Meredith's eyes shot open and she pulled away from Derek and pushed him behind her.

'Jason…'

'That's my name,'

'What do you want now?'

'I told you…can we talk in private? I feel very self conscious talking in front of a stranger,'

'No, we're good here,'

'I want to talk in private so we talk in private,' Some where inside, Meredith found the strength to finally say no.

'No, you wanna talk, we talk here,' Jason walked forward towards Meredith but Derek stepped in front of her, his body towering over Jason's.

'Do as she says and talk now,'

'And You are?'

'The guys that's about to snap you in two,' the smile from Jason's face fell and Meredith looked at Derek, her hand slipping into his.

'Now, it was only three weeks ago that she was throwing you out of the flat…and already you've taken her back,'

'You know nothing and if you wanna have that fight keep going,'

'Derek…' Meredith put her hand on Derek's arm.

'Aw, you trying to protect him? Not like you've not done it before. So has she cheated on you yet?' Meredith shook her head and looked away from Jason.

'What ever happened in the past should stay in the past. Don't bring her past into this,'

'You know that she broke up a marriage? Married the guy and when he died sent all the money to his first wife? That was supposed to show that she wasn't a gold digger,' the grip on Derek's hand became tighter.

'Jason just go…just…go,'

'She had a couple of hundred grand and gave 90 of it to the first wife as a gesture. You girl is worth a bit of money,'

'I think you had better leave,'

'What? She gonna get the other girl to beat me up?' Derek's fist made contact with Jason's face, sending him backwards.

'Don't think she has just one person fighting her battles for her,' Meredith pulled Derek back away from Jason as he got up off the floor and smiled smugly at Meredith. As he left, he slammed the door shut, Meredith releasing a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

'You ok?' Meredith nodded her head and hugged Derek. She lifted his hand and examined his knuckles, slowly they were becoming purple.

'About what he was talking about,'

'Meredith, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to,'

'ok, but I will talk…let you know what really happened,' Derek nodded his head and pulled Meredith over to him again. Lindsey came in and spotted the two of them.

'Thank god, I don't like it when you guys are all sad and-Derek what the hell happened to your hand?'

'Nothing Linds,' Derek kissed Meredith's forehead and went through to the flat, running his hand under the cold water when he got there.

'So what happened?'

'Derek punched Jason. He…never mind. Where is everyone?'

'Just coming up. You ok?'

'Yeah I'm good,'

'Sure?'

'Yeah. So what do you want to do today?'

'No lifts,' Meredith smiled and shook her head.

'we'll do Call on Me,' Lindsey slipped her top off and started stretching, Meredith making sure she didn't hurt herself along with the other women. Meredith put the music on and walked round the class during the song, correcting the small mistakes the women were making.

'I'll see you guys next week, same time,' Meredith cleared up and put the music back on, You give me something baring out of the speakers. The music sped up and slowed down. She did the routine, a feeling of triumph coming over her. The music started again and Meredith started dancing again. Just before the chorus, she felt two hands resting on her hips, but she recognised them and kept dancing along with the person, all the old moves she used to do, coming back to her. The music stopped and Meredith turned round, smiling broadly.

'Chris! What are you doing here?' Meredith hugged the guy, kissing his cheek.

'a little birdie told me you had stopped Dancing in the championships because of that son of a bitch. So I'm here to get you dancing again,'

'Chris…I can't dance anymore,'

'Well I have to disagree,'

'No, I'm not allowed,'

'Who's stopping you?'

'Jason,'

'That's because he's been banned,'

'What?'

'He was caught with steroids…some one tipped them off. He's had all his titles stripped from him and isn't allowed to compete in any competitions any more,'

'That's why he's back…he's been warning me off dancing,'

'Well now your gonna be dancing again, two months to get you ready for the championships, Latin and Ballroom,'

'Your serious about this,'

'Deadly,' Meredith hugged Chris and jumped up and down.

'Wait, you have to meet Derek,' Meredith ran through and pulled Derek back with her.

'Chris meet Derek, Derek meet Chris, my old dance partner who is now taking me to the championships!' Derek picked Meredith up and spun her around.

'You have to do this…don't let Jason stop you,'

'You're ok with it?' Derek looked at Meredith.

'Go do this,' Meredith kissed Derek, but broke apart when his pager went off.

'Sorry, I have to go. I'll see you later. Nice to meet you Chris,'

'Yeah you to Derek,' Derek ran out leaving Meredith alone with Chris.

'When do you want to start?'

'Now,' Chris took his jacket off and lifted a CD out of his pocket.

'I had a feeling you might say that,' Meredith closed the blinds and turned the lights out. Chris started laughing as she pulled him into the middle of the floor. The music came on, Meredith dancing alongside Chris. The song, what a feeling, came blasting out the speakers, Meredith knowing the song like the back of her hand. Chris lifted Meredith up and spun her in the air, her arm the only thing stopping her from falling. Chris caught her and spun her around, both of their feet doing the same steps in time with the music. Meredith fell backwards onto Chris, allowing him to catch her by the neck and flip her over. When the song ended, Meredith was jumping up and down, holding onto Chris's neck.

'I never thought I would do that again…thank you,' Chris started laughing.

'I hate to tell you but we're doing that for the championship,'

'Seriously?'

'Seriously,' Meredith jumped up and down clapping her hands.

'What other ones are we doing?'

'We need to do a ballroom,'

'The American smooth,' Chris nodded his head.

'And a Latin,'

'Argentine tango,' Chris raised his eyebrows.

'You sure Derek will be ok with that?'

'Derek knows what I do can be like that. He can come and watch if he wants,'

'You don't know if he'll be ok with it,'

'no, me and Derek trust each other, we know what each other does is different and can be risky,' Chris pressed play on the CD player and started dancing the argentine tango with Meredith, their bodies up close against each other, Meredith wrapped around Chris. Chris lifted Meredith up, her hands pressing down on his, her legs wrapped around his waist. They never broke the gaze with each other, the dance being about seduction and closeness. Meredith's back arched and she fell backwards off of Chris's body, his hands supporting her back.

She came back up, her body spinning around Chris's neck. She slipped down and onto the floor, Chris picking her up. She stood up smiling and got into position as the American smooth came on. They never came out of the dance lock until half way through when the tempo of the song changed and they had to do four lifts, one after the other. Meredith could feel pains shooting up through her elbow but didn't stop, knowing if she did, not only could she hurt herself but also Chris. He held her up above his head, her back bending so that she looked like she was a floppy doll. Chris slipped backwards, Meredith coming down his back and round into the dance lock again. Meredith felt like she was walking on air and knew this was it for her.


	7. Sledge Hammer

-1Meredith lifted the cup of coffee off the counter and walked through to the studio, still in her pyjama's.

'How can you be so chirpy at 6 in the morning?'

'I'm up at five, running everyday,'

'Chris, you are officially weird,'

'Coffee is bad for you. Water is very good for you,'

'Coffee keeps me awake,'

'So does Derek but he's not here,' Meredith spat out her coffee and burst out laughing.

'I can't believe you just said that,' Chris laughed as Meredith chased him round the studio, pulling him down to the ground.

'Serves you right. I don't talk about Ben in that way,'

'That's because you are in love with him,'

'No…I am not in love with your boyfriend Chris, but I am in love,'

'Oh my god!' Meredith winced as Chris started jumping up and down with excitement.

'With coffee,' He stopped and looked at Meredith in a disapproving way.

'Go stretch or something,' Chris smiled broadly.

'Derek already stretched you?' Meredith looked at Chris and threw her top at him.

'No…not that it's any of your business,' Chris looked at the support on Meredith's elbow.

'It's been sore so I'm wearing this as a precaution. Don't look at me like that,'

'I'll look at you any way I want,' Meredith pressed play on the CD player and got into position.

'You not want to get changed first?'

'You got me out of bed at six to dance. I'll wear what ever I god damn like,' Chris started the What a Feeling routine, Meredith copying him. As he lifted her up, Meredith grabbed onto his arm tighter than usual but he kept going knowing that if he stopped she would fall to the ground. At the end, she smiled, the adrenalin starting to pump through her body.

'Lets do the American smooth,'

'You awake now?'

'Yes,' Derek stood at the door, watching Meredith, her face serious and concentrated.

'Never thought I'd see you dance like that,' Meredith walked over and kissed Derek.

'I bring gift of food,'

'Now I know why I keep you around,'

'I think I have just fallen in love with him,'

'Back up Chris, I'm taken,' Chris lifted the packet out the bag and walked over to the side, placing it down before rolling up his trouser leg. Meredith was talking to Derek when she turned to see Chris adjusting the support around his knee.

'What the hell?'

'Don't look at me like that' Meredith walked over and lifted the support down off of Chris's knee.

'Your muscle…it's gone,'

'No…it's just contracting. This is why I run everyday,' Derek went into doctor mode and examined his knee, checking his reflexes.

'I so have to have more injuries when he's around,' Meredith slapped Chris playfully.

'You seeing a specialist?'

'What? And be told I should stop dancing? Never,'

'Chris this is really serious,'

'Ok, now he's talking, he's not as sexy,'

'Chris, he's being serious here,'

'So am i. There's no point. They'll tell me to rest and stop dancing. What's the point?'

'You could lose the use of your leg,'

'And I could be hit by a bus tomorrow. When I don't dance, I'm not happy,'

'And when you can't walk? Will you be happy then?'

'It won't get to that point because I'll fight it,'

'Fight What?' Meredith looked at Chris and then to Derek. Derek closed his eyes and shook his head.

'This isn't just one thing is it?' Chris pulled the support back on and smiled at Derek.

'How did you guess?'

'Cause you seem too calm about loosing your movement plus your saying you'll fight it. To fight it you would need to know what it was and there would need to be something to fight,'

'I was diagnosed a couple of months ago, this will be my last national championship and I wanted to do it with the best,'

'Derek, what the hell is wrong with him?'

'Chris, you had better tell her,' Chris walked over and stood in front of Meredith.

'I took dermatomyositis after I had a virus. It's slowly destroying my muscle and the skin on top of it. most people get it on their arms but god being god gave it to me on my leg. I have a good 2 years before I won't be able to dance properly,'

'There has to be treatments…something they can do?'

'I've had every treatment there is. Lasers, injections, hundred and one different tablets. This is it,'

'Why didn't you say?'

'There's no point. But now you know…I don't want you to do anything any different. Don't worry about it collapsing. That's my problem. You do everything we have doing. Ok?'

'Is it safe?'

'Yeah, only if I take a sledge hammer to it will it break,' Meredith hugged Chris.

'So these are your last championships?'

'Yip but I want to make these the best so come on. We have a dance to practise,'


	8. Bens an Angel

-1Meredith could feel every ones eyes on her as she spun, Chris holding onto her. He lifted her by the waist and held her up over his head, her back arched. As she slipped down his back, she smiled the song ending.

'We did it Mere…we actually did it,' Meredith turned and wrapped her arms around his neck, jumping up and down in excitement. Her skin tight red corset and trousers was illuminated by the lights shining down on the champions.

'Thank you for doing this Mere…it means everything to me,' Meredith kissed the side of his face.

'I would do it again and again. You got me dancing again,' Chris lifted Meredith up and she spun round his neck. The judges were on their feet but Meredith spotted some one sitting in the crowed, their face white.

'Jason's here,' Chris looked over.

'Don't let him spoil this for you…this is your moment without him,' Meredith and Chris ran off the floor and into the corridor behind the main stage.

'So, how are we celebrating?'

'Tequila'

'You still like that crap?'

'Yip,' Derek was standing, leaning against the stairs when Meredith spotted him. She ran up to him and hugged him tightly, kissing the side of his face.

'I did it,'

'You did it. You were amazing,' Derek handed Meredith her jacket and bag. Chris and Ben were standing.

'You guys ready to go?'

'Yip,' they ended up in Joes, Meredith and Derek going to the booth in the corner.

'Hey Joe, can we have a bottle of tequila to take away for later?'

'Sure. How did the competition go?' Meredith started smiling.

'Guess who came in first place?' Joe looked at Meredith.

'This is on me,' Joe pulled a bottle out from the fridge and handed them four champagne glasses.

'Me and you need to get a dance Joe,'

'I have two left feet,'

'So does Derek but I still dance with him,' Joe started laughing as Meredith and Derek went back down to the table.

'So what are you planning on doing now?' Chris looked at Ben.

'Me and Ben are going back to Boston. I've been asked to help choreograph a show,'

'Chris that's amazing. When do you leave?'

'Next week,'

'Seriously? Your leaving me already?'

'Sorry but this is like big show…big chance,' Meredith put her hand on top of Chris's.

'Go for it,' Ben looked at Meredith.

'We have…we'll there's a,'

'Ben breathe,'

'There's an opening for a lead choreographer for a big broad way show…they were looking for ex championship dancers who now teach,' Meredith lifted the glass to her mouth but stopped.

'Please don't be mad with me. I put your name forward. You've got an interview in three days,' Meredith's eyes widened.

'What?'

'I know your probably mad and hate me now,'

'Where is the audition?'

'They are coming here to Seattle. It's in the Radisson hotel. If you want to pull out then-,'

'Are you kidding me? You got me an interview for a choreographers job, that's like,'

'Oh Fuck?'

'Yeah,' Meredith started laughing.

'What's the show?'

'Wicked. Its about the witches in the wizard of OZ.'

'I hated the wizard of Oz. Too much of a happy ending,'

'Well this about how the witches turned out the way they were. I've got some stuff for you,' Ben handed Meredith a clear blue folder.

'You've to pick a song and take a minute out of it. You've to do a short choreographed piece. There's stuff in there for you to use,'

'You get that I hate you right for not giving me more time?'

'Yes but you love me,'

'Ben you are an angel,'


	9. Scotland

-1Meredith spent the next day dancing over and over again, perfecting the piece she had chosen to do, going over in her head how getting lifted into the air would work.

'You realise that you've not eat anything in about 16 hours and have been dancing non stop?'

'energy drink…lots of it,'

'Slowly killing yourself,' Derek stopped the music, Meredith stopping with it. He stood a brown paper bag in his hands.

'Food. Eat. Energy. More dancing,' Meredith walked over, her body sore.

'I know I can get a hoist put in to lift the actress into the air but I need to know about her agility before I can make definite decisions. I have to do it for myself just now,'

'Why?'

'I've got to perform the dance for the interviewer,' Meredith took a bite of the pasta before hitting the music back on and dancing again. Derek walked over and put his hands on top of hers.

'I'm not your boyfriend just now, I'm a doctor, a doctor that's telling you to stop for ten minutes to eat something,'

'But I have-,'

'No Buts, you don't have to do anything for the next ten minutes but sit down and eating,' Meredith slouched down on the floor next to Derek.

'I'm having a lift in this piece and I don't know if I should keep her in the air or bring her down?'

'What looks better?'

'Up, but I need to remember about timing and getting her back down and able to dance. The harness they use is like a corset and you can't sing big long notes easily,'

'ok, put a corset on and sing to see if she could,' Meredith smiled at Derek as she stood up.

'You always have good ideas,' Meredith came back fiver minutes later, the corset on tight. She threw her top at Derek and started dancing to his objection.

'Just, let me try this then I'll stop, promise,' Derek sat back down and watched as she timed the dance, her feet being in time and in precise places. As she stopped dead, she put her two feet together and started singing along with the music, her voice sending a shiver up Derek's body.

'_Bring me down……Bring me down…,' _Derek started clapping, sending Meredith into a fit of laughter. He walked over, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder. She hit his back playfully as he spun her round. She slipped down the front of him, cupping his face and kissing him forcefully.

'I love you,' Derek kissed her back.

'I love you too but you still have to eat something,'

'I know…I've got the dance sorted now,'

'So?'

'So I can stop…' Meredith's hands slowly slipped down Derek's chest, unbuttoning the shirt on the way down. She stepped forward toward him his hands going around her waist. He lifted her legs up around him, her hands still cupping his face, placing kisses along his jaw. Derek groaned as the pager on his waist started vibrating.

'I have to take this,' Meredith rested her forehead against his and kissed his head.

'It's the chief…I need to go,'

'When will you be back?'

'later…I promise,' Meredith slid down off of Derek and folded her arms across her as she watched him leave. Hitting the play button she went back to the dance, ignoring the food that was sitting at the side. As the day light began to dim, Meredith slowly stopped, her stomach finally saying stop and eat. Walking over she lifted the tub back up and sat, watching the sun setting through the window.

'I thought I told you to eat that earlier,' Meredith turned and smiled at Derek.

'Yeah well, I'm eating it now,'

'you should have eaten it earlier,'

'I thought you'd be back later,'

'Em…about that,' Derek walked over and sat down next to her on the floor.

'I have to go away for a few days,'

'Where to?'

'Scotland,' Meredith looked at Derek.

'Why?'

'Consult. Woman's too sick to be moved…so they're sending me over there,'

'For how long?'

'Two, three day,'

'When do you leave?'

'tonight,'

'Tonight!'

'I know…I don't want to go, I'd rather be here but the flights booked for eight. I just wanted to see you before I left…tell you,'

'Ok,'

'You don't want me to go,'

'you have to go, go,' Derek kissed Meredith's head and left her sitting. As the door began to close Meredith stood up.

'I LOVE YOU,' Meredith folded her arms across her chest and walked over opening the window. She jumped at the feeling of two hands slipping round her waist.

'I love you too,' Meredith kissed Derek before pushing him out the door, laughing. Meredith turned and watched from the window as he drove down the road out of sight. Meredith turned back round to face the studio and realised for the first time how alone she actually was. She locked up the studio and went back through to the flat, feeling like she could cry. Falling onto the couch she sat, going through the blue folder, making sure she had gotten the idea for the show right and hoping that even though Derek wasn't there, she would go through with the interview.


	10. New York

**Hope you are enjoying the story so far. i have already written up to chapter 50 and i have to say that i think some of you are going to kill me lol please review :P**

Meredith's bag hug from her shoulder as she walked into the board room tying her hair up.

'Meredith Grey,' She reached forward and shook the hand of the young woman.

'Meghan Metcalf. You had to travel far?'

'No, I own the dance studio a couple of blocks away so I just walked round,'

'Ok, lets get started. Your name was put forward by Chris Bryld. How do you know him?'

'We were dance partners for three years. We knew each other from Dance school. We were dancing at the championships three days ago,'

'how did you get on?'

'First place. First time we had danced in years,'

'you teach dancing?'

'Yeah I hold about 15 classes a week, varied ages. My youngest is 15 but she's a private client. My oldest is 47,'

'so you can interact with a range of ages,'

'yeah,' Meredith looked at the door as it opened and a young blonde haired man walked out.

'Sorry I'm late. Greg Trosteck,'

'I've seen some of the shows you choreographed and were in. You have a really good balance receptor,' Greg looked at Meghan and smiled, nodding his head.

'So, Miss Grey,'

'Call me Meredith, please, that makes me feel old,'

'Meredith, have you been in any shows?'

'I did a production when I turned 17. I did a weekly show for three months,'

'ok. Have you prepared a piece to show us?'

'Yeah, Defying Gravity,'

'Bold choice. Do you need any lifting materials?'

'Yeah, I need a harness to lift me up,'

'Follow me,' Meredith lifted her bag and followed Greg and Meghan through to another side room that had harnesses and ropes hanging from the roof.

'Ok, you want to get ready and we'll sort the music out,' Meredith came back with the harness attached to her underneath her top, the strings already in place.

'Ok, when ever you're ready,' Meredith started the routine, a young girl being the other part, Meredith directing her. Meredith tapped the harness and went up into the air, stopping exactly where she wanted to. She sang the last note, Greg and Meghan looking at each other, nodding their heads. Meredith came back down and un hooked her harness.

'Meredith, when can you start?' Meredith covered her mouth and started laughing.

'I got the job?'

'You got the job,' Meredith started fidgeting with the ring Derek had given her on her right hand.

'Thank you so much,'

'We'll book your flights for next week, if that suits,'

'Flights to where?'

'New York. It's a years contract to work In New York. You'll be given a studio flat as standard with the contract close to the theatre and you'll start in two weeks, give you a chance to get settled. Is this a problem?' Meredith hesitated.

'No, not a problem,' Meredith pushed the idea of moving to New York to the back of her head, knowing that She would have to leave Derek. She walked home, the soundtrack to the show playing in her MP3 player but she couldn't focus. Rifling through her bag she found her keys but stopped when she seen Derek standing at her door.

'Your back,' Meredith dropped the bag and hugged Derek, kissing his face.

'Yeah, I'm back. How did it go?' Meredith didn't say anything, just opened her door, throwing her bag down at the bedroom door.

'So when did you get back?'

'About two hours ago. How did the interview go?' Meredith started smiling.

'I GOT THE JOB!' Derek picked Meredith up and spun her around.

'That's fantastic. When do you start?'

'Two weeks,' Meredith walked over and lifted a bottle of water out the fridge.

'What's wrong?' Meredith ripped the paper off the bottle.

'Mere?'

'I have to move to New York,'


	11. As long as i need to

**Hey i hope that you are enjoying the story . i have to say that this is one of my favorite stories that i have written and i have no intentions of stopping writing it :D. Please read and review :)**

Meredith handed the cheque over to the shipping company driver and looked at her stuff for the last time for two days. She turned into her now empty flat and nodded her head. This was it, this was her big break. She sat on the wooden floor and leaned back against the wall. Her hair fell down around her face, hiding the tear that had slipped down. She pulled the blanket up around her body and waited for her phone to go, telling her that she had an hour to get to the airport.

She remembered when she had painted the flat, her and Derek happy. That was gone. She looked at the ring on her right hand and twisted it around, pulling it off. She placed it down beside her and sighed. She loved him, so much that she let him go, not asking him to wait for her. She smiled as the shadows danced around the walls.

'You need a ride?' Meredith turned and smiled at Lindsey

'Yeah, I do,' Meredith folded the blanket up and placed it on the counter, lifting the ring as she went.

'I knew there was something I forgot. I need to go past the hospital. I'll come back and get you,'

'Ok, I've got about six hours till my flight anyway,'

'ok,' Meredith sat back down and listened to the rain hitting the windows. The front door was chapped and Meredith pushed herself up, knowing it was probably Lindsey. She opened the door and stood in shock at the figure in front of her.

'I can't…I wanna wait for you,' Meredith looked at Derek, the water from his hair running down the side of his face. He walked forward, embracing Meredith and kissing her, causing her to go weak at the knees.

'I can't let you do this…I can't let you wait for me,'

'You don't have a choice…I love you too much,' Meredith smiled and fell back against the wall, her hands holding Derek's face as they kissed, the front door shutting behind them. Meredith pulled him into the kitchen, still holding onto his face. He lifted her up onto the counter, his hands running up and down her thighs.

'Why did you come back?'

'I love you…and only you,' Meredith pushed forward, wrapping her legs around Derek, undoing his belt at the same time. He pulled her shirt up over her head and ran his hands up and down her back. She fell back onto the counter, pulling him on top of her. She turned, pinning him down underneath her. She grinded her hips against his, kissing his neck, his hands running through her hair. Gently she moved back and forward, the intensity between them growing. Their bodies arched and fell against each other. Derek held himself above Meredith, her breathing raspy. Meredith pulled the blanket over the two of them, both of them lying on the counter, facing each other.

'How the hell are we going to pull this off?' Derek kissed Meredith's forehead.

'God knows. I could get transferred up to New York,'

'No…you can't move halfway across the country for me,'

'Mere, I would do anything for you,'

'I get a couple of weekends off. I could come back,'

'or I could just get transferred up,'

'No, this is something I won't let you do,'

'How long are you in New York for?'

'A year at least,' Derek pulled Meredith over against him.

'We can do this,'

'How? I won't let you transfer up there for me and the show can't come down. We'll only see each other for six weeks of the year and depending on what happens, I could end up in New York permanently,'

'Mere, I'm not letting you go,' Derek kissed Meredith's neck, slowly working his way down to her chest, when the front door started rattling.

'Mere?'

'I'm just coming…Derek where's my shirt?' Derek slipped out from underneath the blanket and handed her top from the floor.

'You sorted?' Derek nodded his head and sat back up on the counter. He grabbed Meredith's hand as she walked past and held her against him.

'I love you,' Meredith pushed into Derek, their lips fusing together.

Meredith smiled and opened the door, Lindsey going straight into the living room.

'Work has just called me in…I'm sorry,'

'Linds, it's ok. I can get another ride to the airport,'

'Ok. You take care,' Lindsey hugged Meredith.

'And you send me tickets to the opening night,'

'I will. Keep an eye on Derek for me. Make sure he's happy,'

'You really love him don't you?' Meredith nodded her head.

'If anything happens, phone me,'

'Ok. I'll see you later Mere,' Lindsey left Meredith alone, wrapping her arms around herself. Derek came in when she had gone and kissed Meredith's head.

'You ok?'

'I really don't want to go,'

'Mere, you have to do this…this is your shot, take it. I'll wait for you as long as I need to,'


	12. Opening Night

-1Meredith ran back and forward behind the stage, making finale adjustments to the show, making sure the main witch's harness was ready to slip on. As the last call was made, Meredith went along to the front of the stall, sitting in the front seat, in the middle. She sat in the grey sweat pants and Derek's polo shirt, ignoring the looks she got from the people sitting on the same row as her. She bit her nails nervously, her legs drawn up to her chest. The lights dimmed and she took a deep breath in, opening night being the night that could make or break her career. The critics sat around her, each of the already whispering. She didn't realise the seats beside her had been occupied, her eyes focused on the stage. She turned and glanced at the woman who had sat next to her, her hair falling in front of her face. She shrugged her shoulders and snuck a glance at the guy sitting next to her, the act booklet hiding his face. Meredith turned her attention back to the show, as the chorus came on, doing the dance that had taken her three weeks to perfect, the dance she had taken pride on before the Defying Gravity dance.

'You always did look cute in those grey sweat pants,' Meredith turned to see Derek sitting beside her, grinning at her.

'Derek!' Meredith flung her arms around him, their lips fusing together.

'Do you mind not eating my brother's face in front of me?' Meredith started laughing and turned to see Lindsey pulling her hair behind her.

'What are you guys doing here?'

'Is it opening night?'

'Yeah,'

'Then this is where we said we would be,' Meredith smiled and took hold of Derek's hand, his thumb running it gently. Meredith watched the footwork of the first witch, her spinning in perfect time with the music.

'Meredith, we have a problem,' Greg pulled Meredith away, both of them running into the side entrance to the stage.

'Allison can't sing in the harness…she cracked a rib last week,'

'WHAT? When?'

'Bad sex last Tuesday,'

'Fuck…this is bad,'

'Yeah. She can't get in the harness,'

'We have no stand in,'

'You,'

'me?'

'You,'

'I can't,'

'You're the only option,'

'I can't sing,'

'That's not true. The audition, you sang the exact note that she can't. You have ten minutes to get into the costume,' Meredith objected but Greg was gone down the passage way.

'Meredith, stand still till I get your hands green,'

'I…the harness…the harness has to go on first,' Meredith stood in her underwear as the harness was attached. Running along the hall, she could feel her dress being secured at the back, the ropes being attached. Meredith took a deep breath before walking on, catching a glimpse of Greg roasting Allison. She belted out the song, Derek and Lindsey's face normal, not noticing the change. As the harness pulled her up, her breath caught but she pushed it out, the last part of the song needing the most air. She moved her arms, her legs having to stay still. She could feel the weight of the cape that ran from corner to corner of the stage from her back, moving in time with the music as the final note was belted out. She was lowered down, the curtains closing for the interval.

'You did It Mere,'

'Greg, get me out of this harness,' Greg looked at her face, the seriousness visible through the green make up.

'Where is she?'

'In her dressing room,' Meredith lifted the black dress up at the front, revealing the black and white stripy stockings and the black stiletto dancing shoes, and kicked the dressing room door open, Allison jumping. Greg stood looking through the glass as Meredith screamed at Allison.

'DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU COULD HAVE DONE? NOT ONLY COULD YOU HAVE CAUSED YOURSELF MORE DAMAGE, YOU WOULD HAVE RUINED TONIGHTS SHOW! DO YOU HAVE ANY CONSIDERATION FOR THE OTHER PEOPLE WORKING THEIR ASSES OFF FOR THIS SHOW?'

'I didn't think,'

'YOU DIDN'T THINK? YOU DIDN'T THINK? THAT'S ALL I GET? THE BIGGEST PART OF THE SHOW AND ALL YOU CAN SAY IS I DIDN'T THINK,'

'Stop yelling at me!'

'GIVE ME ONE REASON WHY THE HELL I SHOULD DO ANYTHING FOR YOU? YOU ARE IN DEEP SHIT TOMORROW…DON'T BOTHER PUTTING THE DRESS ON…YOUR OFF THE SHOW FOR THE REST OF TONIGHT,' Meredith stormed out the room, Allison throwing the vase of flowers at the door as she left.

'Greg, get me Meghan…now,' Meredith stood in the dressing room, looking in the mirror as the make up artist came in and put the make up on properly.

'Meredith, you wanna explain to me why our main witch is crying, begging me not to sack her?'

'did she mention anything to you about a cracked rib?'

'No,'

'She cracked one of her ribs last week after bad sex with the boyfriend. She can't do any of the lifts, get into the harness, nothing. You expect her to back out there when she can't hold a note for more than three beats?'

'No,'

'right. Tomorrow, everyone, including chorus at a meeting. 11 sharp in the rehearsal room. Make sure they're ready to work,' Meredith put her hair up, the black wig sitting perfectly, woven into her own hair.

'Last Call,'

'I'll fucking last call them,' Meredith cursed the whole way up onto the stage, the conductor noticing the change in actress, along with every other person in the audience. Derek slipped forward in the seat, looking at Lindsey. Meredith ignored that he was there, the nerves bad enough. She finished the show and walked off the stage, ripping the dress off as she went, letting the black corset like top fall to the floor along with the flowing black bottom part. She walked through the back of the stage in her black underwear, black and white stripy stockings and stiletto heels, her hair now black, the wig in for at least three weeks. She grabbed the bottle of water out of Greg's hands, throwing him a death glare. He had never seen her so angry. Allison walked out the dressing room and straight into Meredith.

'You had better be here tomorrow at 10:30. I want to talk to you before the main meeting. Your not here by then, your out the show,' Meredith pushed past her, Allison looking back at her. Greg shrugged his shoulders and ran after Meredith. She pulled on a black pair of trousers and black polo neck sweater, removing the green make up in one go putting on her other make up. She lifted her bag and put Derek's polo shirt in the side drawer. She put the black stiletto shoes back on and lifted her bag

'Greg, make sure everyone is here at 11 sharp tomorrow. Who evers not here, unless they have a damn good reason had better be here or they're out the show. There's no after show till next week so don't take hangovers as an excuse,' Greg nodded his head, knowing full well why Meredith was pissed off. Meredith pulled Derek out the side door, Lindsey following them.

'Don't talk to her just now…she's too pissed off. Give her a couple of minutes,' Lindsey pulled Meredith down the side alley.

'Right, what the hell happened?'

'Actress had bad sex with her boyfriend, cracked her rib and couldn't sing properly, do any of the lifts or get into the harness. Greg freaked and made me do it,'

'You were…oh my god…brilliant,' Meredith smiled and went back up to Derek who stood waiting for them.

'You talking now?'

'Yeah,' Meredith smiled at Derek and pulled her hat off revealing the black hair.

'whoa…black hair,' Meredith ran her fingers through it and pulled the cap down over her face as she walked through the reporters that were waiting. Derek followed her into the car sitting waiting for her.

'Hey frank, home please,'

'How did the show go? Heard you became the witch,'

'Yeah, such fun. Oh Frank, this is Derek,'

'Ah, so you're the guy she doesn't shut up about,'

'And this is Lindsey,'

'You're the fire fighter that should really be a dancer,' Lindsey started laughing.

'Listen, Mere, can you just drop me at the hotel,'

'Stay at mine,'

'No, you and Derek go. I need to get some stuff anyway,'

'You sure?'

'Positive. Frank you leave me at the Worthing hotel?'

'Not a problem,' Frank turned down a street, leaving Lindsey outside.

'I'll come and see you tomorrow,'

'Thank you for tonight,' Lindsey waved the car away. Frank looked in the back mirror and put the screen up, cutting Meredith off from him.

'He has such good timing,' Meredith pushed Derek back against the seat, her hands going under his shirt easing it up. Derek pulled her in against him by her ass, cupping her face and kissing her hard. She smiled as Frank tooted the horn three times, letting her know they were at the house.

'Thanks Frank, I'll see you tomorrow at nine,'

'See you later Meredith. Have fun,' Meredith pulled Derek out the car by his jacket and up the stair case to the front door. She un-locked the door, fall backwards into the house, her lips still pressed against Derek's. Kicking her shoes off, she slipped his jacket and shirt of, fumbling with his belt before pulling it off. Meredith's trousers slipped off, along with her top, revealing the stockings and black underwear, Derek smiling.

'Nice underwear,' Meredith pulled Derek down on top of her as she fell backwards onto the couch. His hands pulled her hips against his, their bodies falling into rhythm with each other before they arched and fell against each other. Meredith smiled and kissed the line of Derek's collar bone, her hand grazing the side of his face. Meredith stood up and guided him through to the bedroom, both of them lying facing each other, the sheet keeping their naked bodies covered.

'I really miss you,'

'The show…it's just taking off. We could end up touring,' Derek kissed Meredith's forehead.

'we can do this. I'll always wait for you,'

'Derek I could end up in Europe,'

'And I'll wait for you,'

'I miss waking up to fresh coffee. Frank always stops at Starbucks so I can grab a coffee. I don't like the stuff I make anymore,'

'I'll make coffee for you tomorrow,'

'You spoil me,' Derek pulled Meredith over, her back against his chest. He kissed her neck slowly working his way down to her back. The buzzer went, Meredith groaning.

'Who the hell is calling for you at three am?'

'Twenty dollars says it's some one I hate,' Meredith pulled one of the white sheets and walked over to the front door.

'Who is it?'

'Superwoman,'

'Allison, go away,'

'You wanted to talk, so we'll talk,'

'Allison, un like you I actually care about the show and am going to sleep so that I make it to the meeting tomorrow morning,'

'You trying to be funny?'

'No, I'm deadly serious. You obviously don't want to be in the show next week. I told you if you weren't at the meeting I was pulling you from the show. Now go home and sleep,' Meredith turned the buzzer off and went back up to bed, Derek waiting for her.

'Told you it was some one I hated. You owe me twenty dollars,'

'I never agreed to it,' Derek pulled Meredith back down onto the bed and held her close as she fell asleep, finally for the first time in five months feeling secure and not lonely.


	13. Coffe

-1**Ok, I am really sorry but I missed this chapter out. Please forgive me. :D I'll post another one along with this one. Please forgive me )**

Meredith pulled the cap down as she walked into the side entrance, the light hurting her eyes. Greg was sitting in the office, three cups of coffee in front of him.

'I got coffee,' Meredith smiled and took her sunglasses off.

'I already got coffee,' Greg closed the blinds and turned the projector on.

'Some one, who shall remain nameless, recorded you last night. I've also got 200 photographs of you,' Meredith groaned.

'Burn them,' The door opened, Meghan falling in, looking like she had just been in a fight.

'One of two things. First thing, why the hell did you make the meeting so god damn early and two, Allison's waiting for you and she's really pissed off,'

'Good for her,' Meredith sat with Meghan and Greg for the hour, people slowly trickling in to announce that they were here.

'You ready to yell at these people?' Greg shook his head, Meredith laughing gently. As she went into the main practise hall, everyone stopped talking instantly and looked at the three of them.

'What? You all want pictures?' Meredith looked at Meghan and started laughing.

'Ok, everyone had better be ready to work hard today. But I want to talk to you all first,' Everyone looked at Allison, her arms folded across herself.

'Ok, last night…you did amazing. Made me proud. There was one problem and you can all guess that it was to do with the fact that I had to perform, which might I add I hated. If, at any point you have an injury you come straight to me. You all understand that? I don't want a repeat performance of last night where some one has to jump in at the last minute,' Meredith pulled her jumper off, the male cast whistling at her sports top.

'What? You guys never seen a woman before,' Greg clapped his hand, everyone starting to stretch, except for Allison.

'Allison, you not performing?'

'I can't,' Meredith shook her head. She opened her bag and handed her a large, stretch support.

'You will be performing tonight. Put this on,' Allison changed quickly, instantly noticing the difference.

'About last night…I'm sorry, I didn't think,'

'You have any problems you need to tell some one. I don't want you or anyone else for that matter getting hurt. The support takes the pressure off the ribs meaning you could be flung about like a rag doll and it wouldn't hurt,'

'Also…when I came to your flat. I…I wasn't thinking straight,'

'Forget it. Just don't do it again. I'm sorry I yelled at you. I was out of order,'

'I deserved it,'

'I know you did, but I shouldn't of yelled at you so much,' Allison hugged Meredith and started stretching along with the other performers. Meredith turned the music on, everyone lining up. She stood watching them.

'Line three, straighten up…Jones, I told you to straighten your back leg so do it,' Greg walked in and between all the dancers, hitting their asses to warn them to hold them in. Meghan took Allison to the side, working on her vocals. After five hours solid dancing, Meredith broke them up.

'Ok, be back here in four hours for tonight's show. If you were me, I would sleep. Tonight's all the other Broadway shows,'

'When do we actually perform to the public?'

'Next Monday. That's when the public start. Then it's nine shows a week, one on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday. Two on a Saturday, Friday and a Wednesday. Sleep on the Sunday,' Meredith lifted her bag and climbed into the back of the car, falling asleep as Frank drove her home.

'Hey, how was rehearsals?'

'Can I just come back to Seattle? I liked my life,'

'That bad,' Meredith sat on the floor of the living room, not bothering to move to the bedroom.

'I have to be back there in 4 hours…I finish at 10,'

'You wanna sleep?' Meredith nodded her head and smiled as Derek picked her up and laid her down on the bed.

'Stay with me,' Meredith pulled Derek down beside her, her hands latching onto his shirt. He held her close, the smell of lavender something he missed. She was unaware of the transfer he had gotten and wasn't looking forward to telling her.

'Hey,' She sat up in the bed, taking the mug of coffee out of his hand.

'How long you been up for?'

'I didn't sleep,'

'What do you need to tell me?' Derek smiled.

'You know me well,'

'What's wrong?'

'I didn't plan this…it just happened and I can change it if you want,'

'Derek, your freaking me out here,'

'Chief of surgeries at Seattle Grace found out that you had moved out here and put a transfer sheet in under my name for New York general,'

'Ok, I think I know what that means, but I don't want to get my hopes up in case I'm wrong,'

'I'm now Chief of Neurology at New York General,' Meredith wrapped her arms around Derek, pulling him down on top of her.

'This is fantastic!,' Derek started laughing.

'Your not mad?'

'How can I be mad?'

'You told me not to get transferred out here,'

'Yeah, I was stupid then,' Meredith kissed Derek, still holding him down against her. He pulled away smiling.

'When is your stuff being brought down?'

'It's already down,'

'Where?'

'Flat next to the hospital,' Meredith pushed Derek down onto the bed, her body pinning his to the bed. Meredith kissed his neck, slowly working her way up to his ear.

'You know what this means?'

'What?'

'Celebrating…'

'Show?'

'Later…'


	14. Thats my ass

-1Meredith ran into the dressing room, her hair still a mess. Greg turned around in the seat as Meredith pushed the door open.

'Where did you get to?'

'I was at home,'

'Liar,'

'I'm not lying,'

'Frank went to pick you up. he waited for ten minutes and then left because you didn't come down,' Meredith smiled mischievously.

'That doesn't mean to say that I wasn't at home,'

'What were you doing then?' Meredith started laughing, Greg realising what she was doing.

'Meghan's working on the vocals just now. You want coffee?'

'No thanks,' Meredith couldn't stop laughing as she walked into the main rehearsal room. She opened the door and smiled, everyone whistling at her.

'And you told us not to be late,'

'Yeah well, I'm allowed to be late,' Meredith smiled at Allison, the young girl working with Meghan on her solo parts.

'How's the rib?'

'Not sore,'

'Good, keep the support until you've healed completely…if it gets sore though, tell me,' Meredith stripped down and fixed her hair up.

'Can I talk to you?' the young male dancer Sean was standing, the sweat pouring off of him.

'Yeah, you ok?'

'Yeah, it's nothing bad. I've been asked to do another show and I said yes,'

'You are kidding me,'

'No, it's like a couple of months away but I have an audition and I need to take a female dancer with me,'

'You were wondering if I would go with you,'

'Yeah,' Meredith nodded her head an adjusted the necklace around her neck.

'You have a routine?'

'No,'

'So you want me to give you a routine and perform it with you,'

'Yeah,' Meredith put her hands on her hips and looked at Sean.

'When is the audition?'

'Next month,'

'So we have a month to choreograph a routine and then perform it,'

'If you can't then its ok…I can ask Allison or Amy,'

'No, I'll do it but you had better work your sorry little ass of for me while we're here,'

'I will…thank you,'

'Go into the side room, there's a pile of music, pick a song I'll be through in a minute,' Sean smiled at Meredith and kissed the side of her face.

'I owe you big time,'

'Yeah. Ok Everyone line up and start stretching. We're doing a quick run through of the show before we start detailing. I'll be back in a while so make sure that you know the show,' Meredith sighed and went through to the side room, Sean stretching his legs on the bars.

'Stop showing off,' Sean straightened up and looked at Meredith. She smiled, tilting her head to the side.

'What song you chosen?'

'The time is now, Moloko,'

'You had to pick the seductive song,'

'I like this song,' Meredith nodded her head laughing gently. As the music started playing Meredith began moving her body in time with the music. In the middle she stopped and pulled Sean over to the middle of the floor.

'Put your hands on my waist and slowly move them up and mimic my feet,' Sean did as he was told, his hands slowly sliding up her sides, coming back down her back. She put her hands on top of his, guiding his hands over her body. She closed her eyes, letting the music take control of the dancing. As she slowed down, she opened her eyes, Sean standing behind her. She tapped his hand gently, him lifting her up and over his head. He started spinning, Meredith bent over backwards in the air, his hands the only thing stopping her from falling to the ground. she slipped down his back, her arms holding onto his waist.

'The middle bit. You need to get over the whole touching thing,' Meredith looked at his hands.

'Put your hands on my ass,' Sean's face went red, Meredith smiling at him. he put her hands on her hips, Meredith shaking her head.

'I said my ass, not my hips,' Sean moved them less than an inch, not even getting close to what Meredith wanted. She took hold of his hands and placed them on her ass.

'That is my ass. Nowhere else is my ass but there, so when I tell you to put your hands on my ass, you put them there,' the side door opened, a young woman walking in with a tiny baby in a sling.

'Hey!,' Meredith walked over, looking at the tiny baby in the sling.

'How's motherhood?'

'Hellish but wonderful. How you treating my hubby?' Meredith looked up at Sean and started laughing.

'Put your hand on her ass,' Sean looked at Meredith, Yvonne smiling as he placed it gently.

'So you can touch her ass easily but not mine,'

'Ah, you found his weakness. Hates dancing and having to touch another dancers ass at the same time,'

'I know. I will break him into it though. He doesn't have a choice,'


	15. Paralysed

-1Meredith opened the apartment door, Derek in the kitchen leaning down on the counter.

'What's up?'

'Nothing,'

'Derek,'

'I came to see you today,'

'When?'

'You were in the side gym with some guy. And for the first time…I actually felt jealous of him. I seen him with his hands all over you and I…I wanted to kill him,' Meredith was unsure what to say, this being the first time he had said anything.

'Why didn't you tell me you were there?'

'I just turned and walked away. I couldn't watch you dancing with him,'

'Derek, you think I'm really gonna do anything when you're here, with me?'

'I don't know what to think anymore,'

'Where the hell has this all come from? Last week you seen me with the cast and you were fine then, what's changed?'

'I just…I just can't stand the thought of other guys' hands on you…'

'Derek its part of my job. I have had hundreds of guys with their hands on me and I feel nothing towards them. When you put your hands on me it becomes different,'

'It doesn't feel different,' Meredith watched as Derek lifted his keys off the side board.

'You are so over reacting,'

'No, I'm being human,'

'Just go…you don't listen when your like this,' Meredith shrugged her shoulders, knowing he would be back later, she would eventually see him again. Three weeks passed, Derek still having not got in touch. Meredith pulled her grey tracksuit bottoms and white shirt on and went through to the studio, the young groom standing at the window.

'Hey Carl, you excited?'

'More like wanting to run away and hide. Three days and I will no longer be a free man, it scares me. She had better be impressed with my dancing though,' Meredith smiled and hit the stereo on, Paul Weller's you do something to me starting to play.

'How's Susan?'

'Hating the fact her mother is over for the wedding. They don't get on. What about you?'

'Me? Don't out your heel down,'

'Yes you, you always ask about me and Susan but I never hear about you,'

'I have a very quiet love life at the minute,'

'At the minute?'

'You're a client,'

'I'm a therapist, start talking,' Meredith smiled.

'Only if I can give you this session for nothing,'

'Deal,'

'I was going with a guy…things were great and it was like love at first sight. But he got jealous over me dancing with another guy. He walked out three weeks ago and I've not seen or heard from him since,'

'Why don't you call him?'

'I said he was over reacting and when I have phoned it's went straight to voice mail,' Meredith started dancing to the fast song, Carl following her.

'You've been practising,'

'Glad you could tell,' Meredith kept dancing but stopped suddenly, Lindsey at the door. She started smiling before she hugged Lindsey, Lindsey's grip tight on Meredith.

'What are you doing here?' Meredith watched as Lindsey's eyes welled up.

'Lindsey,' Carl stood behind Meredith.

'There was an accident…he was in an accident,' Meredith stepped backwards.

'Where is he?' Lindsey looked to the ceiling.

'He's not…he's not dead,'

'They told me to come and get you…he's in coma…he has been for while,' Meredith could feel her legs crumbling from underneath her, Carl catching her.

'I…I told him to go…I made him leave,' Meredith stood outside the exam room, Lindsey behind her.

'You can go in and see him,' Meredith nodded but hesitated slightly.

'Go…go in,' Meredith turned to Lindsey, Lindsey having gone down the corridor. She walked in, the sight of Derek frightening her.

'God almighty,' Meredith covered her mouth with her hand, the tubes coming out of his body. She sat down on the edge of the bed, her hand grazing the side of his face.

'Your an ass…you can't do this to me…you can't leave me…not now,' Meredith sat beside him, refusing to leave his side. Meredith gently put her head on his chest, the tears falling down her face and hitting his bare chest as she lay staring at his face.

'Meredith?' Meredith sat up and turned her head sharply, an elderly woman standing at the door.

'I'm sorry, do I know you?'

'No, I'm Derek's mom. He spoke so much about you…I knew it was you,'

'I'll go…you can stay,'

'No, he would want you here,' Cathy sat next to Meredith, Meredith brushing the hair out his face.

'We had a fight…the last time I saw him, we were fighting,'

'It will be forgotten now,'

'I told him to leave…I made him leave. This wouldn't have happened if I had just spoke to him,'

'You can't blame yourself for this. The car went off the road, the tyre bursting on glass,'

'Where?'

'He was round the corner from the hospital,'

'When?'

'About two weeks ago. He's been like this since. They say he's got another 12 hours before the chance of him waking up becomes a 1 in 500 chance,' Meredith nodded, Cathy leaving her.

'You need to fight Derek, you really need to fight,' the door opened, a doctor coming in and smiling at Meredith.

'You family?' Meredith hesitated slightly.

'Girlfriend. How is he?'

'He's responding to the treatments. There…there was some damage though…he might not have full use of his legs,'

'He could be paralysed?'

'Yes, he could be paralysed,'


	16. Surprise

-1**People I love you all for all the reviews, seriously cant stop smiling. So in thanks have two chapters. Love and free cookies to all 3**

Meredith cursed as she fell over, her elbow having given way again.

'Maybe you should take a break for a bit,'

'Meghan, I'm fine,'

'Yeah you look it,'

'I am, I'm fine. It's just strange not doing Wicked,'

'That was your big break into the choreographing world. That will always be yours,'

'Yeah. Now I have to do the son of a witch. This could be the biggest mistake I could make,'

'How? You're working your ass off and not stopping even when you do fall on your ass,'

'Critics could say this was just a cheap attempt at keeping Wicked going by doing the Son of a Witch. Maybe it is,'

'No, trust me; it's not a cheap attempt,'

'Yeah,' Meredith turned and smiled as the door opened, Derek coming in, the wheelchair fitting through the door easily.

'Hey, when did you get up?'

'Couple of hours ago. I need to go to the hospital,'

'What's wrong?'

'Nothing, I'll be back in a an hour,'

'Derek, why are you lying?'

'I'm not lying,'

'What have I forgotten?'

'Nothing, the chief called me in. stop worrying and just relax for a bit ok?'

'Ok, I can do that,'

'Now who's lying,' Meredith stood in a world of her own, Meghan coughing loudly to bring her out of it.

'What?'

'You are so in love with him, it's creepy,'

'It's not creepy,'

'Ok, maybe it's not creepy but you guys have been through a lot together and it really obvious that you love each other,'

'Yeah,'

'You don't sound so sure,'

'he's hiding something…about the hospital,'

'If it was something important he would tell you, you know that,'

'But he knows I'm stressing about the show and wouldn't; tell me because it could be something else that I would stress about,'

'If you want this to be ready so that you can cast people next week, you need to move your ass,' Meredith turned and started dancing suddenly, Meghan stepping back quickly to avoid getting jumped on.

'So you gonna tell me what happened at the hospital today?' Derek smiled and shook his head as Meredith sat facing him, her legs wrapped around his waist.

'It was nothing, honestly. It's gonna take a while to finish but I will tell you when you need to know,'

'I have a show coming up, it's better to tell me now,'

'No, trust me, you'll like it when I do tell you,'

'Derek, my pants will stay on until you tell me,'

'I can live with that,' Meredith slipped forward, her hips against his. She gently planted kisses down his neck, Meredith letting her breath run along his skin.

'You think you can live with that?'

'Don't you dare,' Derek smiled broadly

'What? I thought you could live with it,'

'I lied,'

'I know. Tell me what's going on or I stop,'

'Are you blackmailing me with sex?'

'Yes,'

'You are too smart for your own good,' Meredith smiled mischievously, Derek shaking his head at her.

'I have been talking to the chief about getting moved…to a new rehab centre…it would give me a better chance of walking again. I had a look around and I stood up today…holding onto bars yeah, but I stood up for the first time since the accident,' Meredith leaned back against Derek's hands that rested at the bottom of her back.

'You weren't gonna tell me?'

'I wanted it to be a surprise,' Meredith went forward, her lips linking with Derek.

'We have serious celebrating to do…like serious celebrating,'


	17. I Will Always Be Here

-1**Second chapter of love…**

Meredith wrapped the grey robe around her body and stood at the kitchen counter, Derek pushing himself down the corridor.

'Go back to bed, I'm just making coffee,'

'the bed got cold when you got out,'

'Is that your sneaky way of saying you want me to go back to bed?'

'Yes,' Meredith smiled and sat on Derek's lap, the coffee warm in her hands. She climbed onto the bed, Derek easing himself up. Meredith pushed the chair away from the bed, the thought of it not being there even for a short time making Derek happy.

'We so have to celebrate more often,'

'Yeah,' Meredith looked up at Derek.

'What's wrong?'

'Nothing, I'm fine,'

'We've just had amazing sex and your fine?'

'I don't want to live a life where I'm in a chair for eighteen hours of the day,'

'Derek you said your in this rehab program and the way your going you should be on your feet shortly,'

'I have a damaged spinal cord, that means there are no signals going to below my thighs,'

'And? You can still use your thighs, you can make them work and get both of your legs working with them an not against them,'

'I can't live a life like this,'

'Yes you can, and I'm right beside you,'

'You're a dancer for god sake, your on your feet all day, you jump about and you use your feet to make a living. Imagine not being able to do that, imagine being stuck in a chair and watching everyone around you walk about and have normal lives when you can't even stand in a shower,'

'Derek, you…there was a chance you were never going to wake up and you did. They thought you were going to be in a coma for months, but you pulled through and you will again, you will get walking,' Meredith slipped out from under the sheets and pulled her sweat pants on. Derek looked at her.

'What are you doing?' Meredith pulled her hair up into a bun, Derek's shirt hanging off her. She flung the sheets back, Derek embarrassed at the fact she was looking directly at his legs.

'put your feet on the floor,'

'Meredith,'

'Trust me, put your feet on the floor,' Derek lifted his legs out the bed, Meredith taking hold of his arms.

'stand up,'

'Meredith, this,'

'This what? isn't funny? Isn't practical? You want to walk you need to learn to stand first. Put your weight on me and stand up,'

'I'm too heavy for you,'

'Derek, I dance, I support myself up, I support other dancers, male and female. Put your weight on me,' Derek took a deep breath in, Meredith grabbing hold of his waist as he stood up, her body supporting his upright.

'Now, slowly, put your right foot forward,'

'I can't,'

'You can, don't say you can't because you can,' Derek's foot moved slightly, the expression on his face unchanging.

'Now your left one,' after an hour, Meredith had eased Derek into the middle of the room, the sweat pouring off Derek as the effort of walking kicked in.

'Ok, now I want you to turn and go back to the bed,' Derek could feel the strain on his legs too much, his right one buckling first. Meredith held on tighter.

'Ok, we'll stop,' Meredith outstretched her leg and pulled the chair over, Derek falling into it.

'God your worse than rehab,'

'You…you said you couldn't walk yet I managed to get you over to the middle of the room. You will be walking in no time, I promise,'

'You are full of determination,'

'You said you wanted to walk again, so I'm gonna have you walking,' Derek pulled Meredith down by the waist, Meredith sitting on his lap.

'Thank you, for not giving up on me…with the accident and everything you didn't leave me,'

'I wouldn't leave you,'

'But you could have, you could have left me before I got out the hospital but you stayed with me, you kept me going,'

'I wouldn't stop loving you just because you can't walk across a room. If I had to do everything for you Derek I would. I love you so much and i…I was in the middle of a class when Lindsey showed up to tell me about the accident. When she said there was an accident, I thought you were dead…and I could feel myself falling to the ground but then when she said you were still alive…I knew I had to fight to keep you with me,'

'I remember the accident,' Meredith looked at Derek, gently caressing his face.

'I was heading to the hospital after I had left here…I don't know why but I was turning to head to the flat but…I don't know what happened or how I ended up at the crossroads but there was a car in the middle of the road, all the glass smashed out the windows. I went around but the glass burst the tyres and I lost control,' Meredith turned and wrapped her legs around Derek, Derek supporting her with his hands. She pushed the chair back, her and Derek climbing back onto the bed. She smiled broadly at Derek. She looked at the scars he had on his stomach, Meredith running her fingers over them.

'No matter what, I promise you, I will always be here, even if you never walk again, I will always be here,'


	18. Equations

**Really sorry i've not updated sooner. exams and studying like crazy. Shonda so not helping with teh nirse saying stupid things like she loves derek. back off bitch, Meredith is Derek's!! lol. please take two chapters as a peace offering and review :)**

Meredith put the sunglasses down as she stood in the large court of the rehab centre, Derek talking to the physiotherapist. Meredith let her hair fall in front of her face, Derek coming at her really fast, Meredith knowing he would stop right in front of her.

'Go, I'm fine; I can get myself sorted,'

'I have the hang over of the centaury and I have to cast a show. Trust me I would rather be here,'

'Go, I'm fine; you need to do this,'

'I need to be here to help you,'

'No, you can go, do your job,' Meredith leaned down and gently kissed Derek on the cheek.

'I'll be finished about five,' Derek sighed heavily and watched as Meredith sluggishly walked out the centre, her hangover seeming to be making every movement an effort.

'How the hell did you know two black coffees would take away the hangover?'

'I'm in here every morning, that's how,' Meredith smiled and lifted the folder with her through to the large dance studio. A line of thirty guys stood in front of her, each of them topless, Greg eyeing up the muscles on their torsos.

'Get you eyes on the prize Greg. You can have your way once I've cast these parts,'

'You get that I hate you right now,'

'Hey, I said after I had cast my parts. Then you can have all the fun you want,' Meredith stripped down to her sports bra and tracksuit bottoms, her bare feet strapped for dancing.

'Ok. I'm Meredith Grey, the Lead choreographer for this show, I did wicked and will kick your ass every step of the way If I have to. I want you perfect for this role,'

'How many parts are there to be cast?' Meredith glanced to the end of the row, one of the younger men speaking out. She walked towards him, all of them stepping back from him.

'Name?'

'Justin,'

'As many as I need. You get to go last, just for your curiosity,' Meredith sat on the bench, twenty eight of the guys not having what she needed for the shows. The last had some potential, Meredith having given up and was now just interviewing for the hell of it. As Justin stepped up and started dancing, Meredith took notice, instantly knowing that she had her main man, he would play the witches son. She stepped into the dance with him suddenly, each of them going with the flow of the music. Stepping out she straightened out the small imperfections he had in his dancing, the other dancers having packed up their stuff and gone, knowing that he was the main part.

'Where did you go for dancing?'

'Why?'

'There's only one other dancer I know that dances like that and teaches that style so where did you go?'

'Jason,' Meredith slammed her hand off the piano.

'Bastard,'

'What?'

'I can't…I can't take you on if you let him know that your doing this show,'

'Why?'

'We have a dancing history and I never want to see him again,'

'What happened?'

'It was a long time ago and I'm not going into it but I need to know that if you do this show that he never knows,'

'Yeah sure,' Meredith opened the door to the studio and flicked the lights on. She walked over to the far corner of the room and lifted the lid of the white grand piano. The sunlight filled the room, Meredith starting to play. Derek sat at the studio door watching Meredith, Meredith totally unaware of Derek. The notes for bed shaped played freely from her fingers, Meredith remembering the last time she played was before she started choreographing. She stopped suddenly, her head falling onto the top of the piano.

'God damn it,' Meredith hit her hand off the top of the piano, Derek going forwards her. Her head shot up, Meredith smiling broadly at him.

'Hey,'

'What's happened?' Meredith shook her head. Derek pulled her over by the waist, Meredith sitting on his lap.

'Jason,' Derek's back stiffened, Meredith noticing the difference.

'What is it?'

'The young guy I cast for the part…Jason taught him how to dance and…and If I choose to cast this guy then I risk pulling Jason into this,'

'Don't do it,'

'I need to, he's the best dancer that there was…I can't just let him go like that,'

'Meredith, you can't get into this with Jason again…not after what he did to you,'

'This time though…it could be different,'

'How? How would it be different?'

'Cause I wouldn't be with him…just the guy he taught to dance. It might not even come to anything,'

'Then why are you in here playing the piano if it might not come to that,'

'Because it's a piano that's meant to be played,'

'The whole time I've been with you I've only heard or seen you play it twice. And the only reasons you have played is if something had happened,'

'Yeah well, I…,'

'You what?'

'I don't want him to get brought back onto the equation,' Meredith groaned loudly as the studio door opened, Meredith standing up sharply. Derek spun round.

'I heard you were thinking of not casting Justin because I taught him,'

'What are you doing here?'

'Cast him,'

'Jason what the hell are you doing here?'

'Look, I want nothing to do with you or the show. Just…give him the part. He deserves it. He worked his ass of to get to where he is now and I don't want the fact we have history to ruin his chances,'

'You promise me you'll stay away from me; you won't bother me or pull any more of your crap,'

'I promise. And I'm sorry, for what happened,'

'Too late Jason,'

'No I mean it. I never…I never meant for it to get that far and now…I'm sorry,'

'Jason…'

'No, I'm sorry but don't let what happened between me and you get in the way of him making something of himself. I don't want to be responsible for him not getting this,'

'Fine, just promise to stay away from me,'

'Fine,' Meredith kept her gaze fixed on the door until it shut over.

'Did that just happen?'

'Yeah,' Meredith turned and smiled at Derek. She sat down on his lap, facing him, her legs wrapped around his waist.

'So now you get to cast the guy and he's gone,' Meredith sighed.

'I'm not counting on his promise. Why the hell should I believe him?'

'Just…I don't know why you should believe him but maybe you should, just this once and try and have a shot with him out of the picture,'

'You get that I love you?' Derek smiled, nodding his head gently as Meredith held his head, her lips soft against his face.

'I love you, more than you will ever know Mere,'


	19. Just what?

-1Meredith dragged her bag up the stairs, the day's rehearsal having taken most of her energy. She kicked the door open, the empty wheelchair causing her to stop suddenly. She stuck her head round the kitchen door, her face Falling as she seen Derek sitting on the floor.

'Why didn't you call me?' Derek looked up from the floor, his gaze fixing with her.

'I shouldn't have to call you when I need to get up off the floor,'

'Derek,'

'Don't just…,'

'Just what? Get you up and back into the chair and then leave you to nurse your pride? Or have I just to leave you lying on the floor with no way of getting yourself up? Derek, it's me and only me. I get reality right now and reality is telling me that you can't do the stuff you used to and you will never need to be embarrassed about what happened and how bad that things are,' Derek nodded, Meredith sitting next to him on the floor.

'It may feel like you are going through this alone and that no one understands what you're going through. No one might know what your going through but you are not alone in this and never will be, I promise,' Derek kissed Meredith's head before she started to lift him to his feet. Derek held onto the kitchen counter and steadied himself, Meredith pulling the chair over beside Derek. Meredith took hold of his hands and guided him down into the chair, Derek sighing heavily.

'Things will get better, I promise you that,'

'I'm sorry I was an ass,' Meredith sat on the couch underneath Derek's legs, Derek wishing that he could feel her body underneath his legs through the fabric of his trousers.

'You're allowed to be an ass,'

'How did rehearsals go?'

'The guys doing well and Jason is no where to be seen,'

'A little faith,'

'Yeah, how was rehab?' Derek smiled and looked down into the glass of wine.

'Derek,'

'Don't be mad at me or anything like that,'

'What did you do?'

'I didn't go in, I had to work,'

'You're missing the centre to work?'

'It was an emergency,'

'Derek life is full of them. That doesn't mean that we miss out on life,'

'I know, I get it. It was a baby though and I was the only surgeon that they could get hold of,'

'Are they ok?'

'Parents were sitting with her when I left and she was doing really well,'

'So it was worth it?'

'Yeah it was,' Derek winced sharply, Meredith sitting up straighter.

'What's wrong?'

'There's…a…pain in my…leg,' Meredith started smiling, Derek rubbing his leg.

'I didn't know pain was funny,'

'You have a pain, you can feel your leg,' Derek started laughing, the pain still evident on his face. Meredith started rubbing it vigorously, the blood supply coming back and stopping the spasm.

'I think you need to make a phone call, Call Doug and then the centre,'

'Relax, it could be a reflex pain,'

'Derek, you're a neuro surgeon for Christ sake, for you to feel pain, the message has to be sent through the central nervous system. Messages have to be being sent to your leg,' Derek clicked into being a doctor and not focusing on the fact it was his own leg he was thinking about.

'Where's the phone?'

'Here, tell her you'll be an hour,'

'It's nine at night,'

'So? She's still gonna be there,' Derek lifted his legs up into the car, Meredith smiling at him.

'This could mean that you could be walking in a couple of months, if not weeks,'

'Let's not jump the gun. I only had a pain in my leg, it doesn't meant that everything back to the way it was before the accident,'

'You never know ok? Just, have a little faith Derek,' Derek smiled at Meredith, his own words coming back and biting him.

'We'll get through this an I'll be there to pick you up off the floor and get you walking, I promise,'


	20. Marry me Mere

-1Meredith opened her eyes slowly, the sun hurting them. She turned her head to face Derek. But her head shot up, the side of the bed empty. Slipping out from under the sheets she smiled as Derek held onto the kitchen counter and slowly walked towards the couch.

'Good morning,'

'How come you're up?'

'Cause I felt you were gone,'

'You were at the show until late, go back to bed,' Meredith walked over and wrapped her arms around Derek's waist.

'I have been working my ass off and I've not seen you in ages,'

'You seen me last night,'

'For what? Ten minutes before I collapsed onto the bed,'

'You're allowed to,'

'I know, but I still haven't seen you in ages, both of us working,'

'Hey, I work three day weeks; you work seven day weeks,'

'Exactly,'

'Ok, now I'm confused,'

'I work my ass off Derek and I never get to see you because of it. so I spoke to Greg and Meghan and they said that they would keep things ticking over for a couple of days while I spent some time here,'

'You've taken a holiday?'

'Yip and I intend to spend every minute with you,'

'I can live with that,' Meredith walked behind Derek as he got over to the couch, walking becoming easier by the day, the over night stays at the rehab centre keeping him mobile at all hours.

'So, what is your evil plan for the couple for days you're planning to hold me hostage for?' Meredith shrugged her shoulders as she lay on top of Derek. She settled in against him, not noticing Derek pulling a small box out the table beside the couch.

'Mere,'

'Yeah,' Meredith looked at Derek, his hand holding a small black box out to her. He sat up, Meredith leaning back against his chest. She prized it open gently, the silver band shining along with the diamond that sat in the middle of the band. Derek gently leaned down, Meredith's eyes fixed on the ring. Gently whispering in her ear, Derek could feel Meredith's body relaxing against his.

'Marry me mere,' Meredith turned her head to face Derek, her face inches away from his.

'Yeah,' Meredith linked her lips with Derek, the smiles stuck on their faces. She rested her forehead against his, every now and then her lips gently touching his.

'I love you,'

'We need to tell everyone,'

'I had other plans,' Derek looked at Meredith, Meredith taking him by the hand and leading him into the bedroom. She could feel herself falling backwards onto the bed, Derek's lips following the lines of her body, his soft hands sliding her trousers off, her shirt discarded with his. His hair gently traced across her stomach, his lips across her hips, making its way up her body. She could feel him tensing to her touch, Meredith loving the feeling that she could give him and only him. Her arms came up and round his back, his hands holding himself up over her, Meredith lifting her hips up to him. She started groaning his name, the excruciating sensations pulsing its way through her body with every movement. She lay beside him, Derek gently running his hand up and down her thigh that lay across his stomach

'Ok, now we can tell people,' Derek laughed gently, kissing Meredith's forehead. Meredith pushed the door to the dance studio, Greg and Meghan working the cast as hard as they could. Meredith held onto Derek's hand, his other hand using the crutch.

'Hey guys,'

'I thought you were taking a couple of days off,'

'I am but I needed to tell you guys something,' Greg and Meghan exchanged looks, Greg being the first to spot the ring.

'Congratulations!' Meghan looked at him like he was an alien.

'She's engaged stupid,' Meredith laughed, Derek leaning against the wall.

'I'm really happy for you,' Meredith smiled, the smile seeming to break her face.

'I just wanted to let you guys know that we're going up to Seattle then Boston for a week,'

'Go, enjoy yourselves,' Meredith looked at Derek.

'I'll be two minutes I promise,' Meredith took her jacket and shirt off and started dancing along with the cast, everyone of them dancing perfectly with her. As Justin came over and started dancing with her, Meredith having taken over from the main female dancer, she let her guard fall, and let him lift her up like the way he did with the main dancer. Her elbow started to give way, Justin holding onto her even tighter. She could feel the pain shooting up and down her arm but he never let her fall. She realised that he would rather that he got hurt that she did. As he placed her down, she turned and hugged him, Derek raising his eyebrows and smiled.

'Thank you for not letting me fall,'

'Go have fun,' Meredith ran down and pulled her shirt on as her and Derek left.

'He was the right guy to cast,'

'Why?'

'He…when he lifted me, my elbow started to give way but he was determined for me not to fall and it was like he was prepared to do anything as long as I didn't fall,'

'That's because he know how good you are,'

'Thank you,'

'What did I do?' Meredith stopped at the car door and took Derek's head in her hands. Gently kissing his cheek, she whispered softly.

'Making me the happiest woman alive,'


	21. Starving

-1'Oh my god, what are you guys doing here?' Derek smiled as Lindsey hugged him tightly, Meredith taking his weight from his waist.

'We just thought we'd come up and see you,'

'Mom's in the kitchen,' Meredith handed Derek the crutch, Derek supporting himself along the wall.

'So what are you guys really doing here?'

'We'll talk later, let him see your mom first,' Lindsey nodded, Meredith following her through.

'Meredith, It's lovely to see you again,' Meredith inhale the scent off Cathy, Meredith noticing that both she and Derek smelt the same.

'It feels good to be back in Seattle,'

'What brings you and Derek up?' Meredith and Derek exchanged looks, Meredith nodding at Derek for him to tell his mom.

'I asked Meredith to marry me,'

'And I said yes,' Cathy's face lit up, her hands covering her mouth. Lindsey hugged Meredith then Derek, Derek having to sit down. Cathy kissed Derek on the cheek, the tears slipping out the side of her eyes.

'I am so happy for you. You deserve happiness,' Meredith lifted the crutch away from him, allowing him to move his leg round and under the table. Meredith sat next to him, holding his hand under the table. Cathy continued to cook, Lindsey raising her eyebrows at Derek.

'She never stops cooking,'

'Nothing's changed then,' Meredith put her head on Derek's shoulder, Lindsey noticing that she was half asleep.

'When was the last time she slept?'

'yesterday?' Lindsey gently woke Meredith, Meredith embarrassed that she had fallen asleep. She disappeared up the stairs with Lindsey, Cathy talking to Derek.

'You seem really happy,'

'I am mom, she's it for me,'

'when you were in the accident, she never left your side once. We didn't know how to contact her but as soon as we told her, she never left you. And she wouldn't, no matter what we said to her. We were lucky if we could get her to leave and go and get something to eat. It came to the point we were having to throw her out,' Cathy chuckled slightly and sat down next to Derek.

'When me and your father got married, we did it in secret, no one else there. Everyone went mad but it was our day and we wouldn't have changed it for the world. Make it your day. Forget everyone else. All I ask is that you do one thing for me,' Derek looked at his mother, Cathy turning the oven off before she disappeared up stairs. Derek stood up slowly and walked over to the fridge. He grabbed onto the dresser, the weakness still in his legs.

'Mom is hunting through some box…what are you doing?' Lindsey eased Derek over, Derek angry that he couldn't even get a bottle of water out the fridge without someone having to help him.

'I was getting some water,'

'You should have just asked,'

'I can get it myself,'

'You don't have to and until you get back up to full speed, let other people help you,'

'I don't want people to have to help me; I want to be able to get things myself,'

'I know,' Lindsey squeezed his shoulder and lifted her keys. Her pager continued to vibrate.

'Looks like I got to go save some more lives out burning buildings,' Lindsey ran towards the door.

'BE CAREFUL!'

'I always am Derek,' Cathy came back down the stairs and looked at Derek.

'I knew this was in the box some where, I just had to find it,' Derek opened the green velvet box. He recognised the ring instantly, his fathers gold wedding back heavy in his hands.

'He wanted me to give this to you, when you got married. He said even if I wasn't there to see it, you were to have it,' Derek let the ring fall between his fingers, his mother seeming mesmerised by it.

'I remember when we picked them out, an hour before we actually got married,'

'where?'

'New York, it was before we moved down here. We got married and within the month had bought this house. Then I fell pregnant with Anna, then Karen, Lindsey and you. Stacy was a late baby. She took her time coming. Wouldn't change her for the world, even though I have no idea where she is,'

'London,'

'Is that where she is? Last I heard she was in Paris with the photo shoot,'

'Some large bridal company bought her designs plus with the opening of the shop she's been busy,'

'I know. Karen is…Karen is coming home in a few months,'

'How long is she staying for?'

'She's moving back,'

'What?'

'Yeah, her and Danny never quite worked out in Germany. She can't get a proper job and he's treating her like crap so she's coming home,'

'Alone?'

'Yeah. Anna's keeping the business going in Prague without Tina helping her,'

'Are they actually gonna get married or are they just gonna stay companions for the rest of their lives,'

'I don't think they have time,'

'Everybody's got time,' Meredith pulled her hair up into a bun as she came into the kitchen.

'Hey,' her voice was croaky.

'You ok?'

'Yeah, I'm ok,' Cathy squeezed Derek's hand and left them alone.

'What's wrong?' Meredith sat on Derek's lap, Derek brushing the stray pieces of hair that fell down back.

'I just viewed the entire contents of my stomach,'

'You got a fever?'

'Nope, just the sickness,'

'Go back to bed for a couple of hours,'

'Nah, I'm up now. You want to take your mom out for dinner?'

'Your hungry?'

'Starving,' Derek shook his head, Meredith helping him up.

'Dinner sounds good. My mom will want to talk wedding by the way, so be warned,' Meredith leaned up and gently kissed Derek.

'Wedding sounds good,'


	22. Fairy Princess

-1Meredith pressed the buzzer and stood holding Derek's hand as she waited for the door to open.

'Who is it?'

'Your fairy princess,' Meredith laughed along with Derek as Ben squealed in the back ground as they realised that it was Meredith. She was engulfed by Chris's hug.

'When did you get in?'

'A couple of hours ago.

'What do I owe this honour?' Meredith looked at Derek.

'How do fancy a takeaway?'

'Ok, what are you up to?'

'Nothing I just wondered since I kina flew across a country if you wanted a takeaway,'

'Ok,' Meredith sat on the floor, leaning back against Derek against the couch. Chris and Ben sat facing them, the empty trays of Indian food laid between them.

'So you gonna tell me why you guys are here, very unexpectedly?' Meredith smiled at Derek.

'We got engaged,' Ben started clapping his hands and semi crawled across the floor to hug Meredith and Derek. Chris sat motionless, Meredith looking for some kind of reaction.

'When Me and Ben got 'married' you said that no matter what happened, you would always be there,' Meredith raised her eyebrows.

'No Matter what happens, I will always be there,' Meredith stood up, her and Chris hugging each other tightly, the best friends sharing a feeling between them, like they could take on the world together. Derek shook his hand, Chris telling him to stay where he was and not to move a lot. Ben jumped up and started tidying up, Meredith helping him through to the kitchen.

'You don't realise how happy you've made her,'

'I love her more than anything,'

'I know. Thank you, for making her this happy,' Derek lifted the last two boxes but his left leg went from underneath him, Chris catching him by the arms and easing him down onto the couch.

'God damn it,'

'You don't have full strength back in your legs yet,'

'I know,'

'If you know then you know you shouldn't be up and about on it as much as you are,'

'Yes doctor' Chris smiled and took the boxes through. Meredith stood at the living room door, watching as Derek massaged his thigh, the spasm starting to ease.

'You tried to stand up from the floor,'

'How can you tell?'

'You only get those spasms when you try and push up too much,' Meredith took over, Derek gently lifting her lips to his.

'I love you,'

'Chris is saying that we should just run away and get married, screw everyone else,'

'Is that a bad idea?'

'Family?'

'We'll send them a postcard,' Meredith started laughing and helped Derek up into his feet. Derek walking slowly through to the kitchen. Chris handed him a bottle of beer. Ben put his beer into the air and started smiling.

'I propose a toast to Meredith and Derek,' Meredith's face went scarlet, Ben laughing and hugging her.

'You get that I so have to get you back for this,'

'Oh yeah,'


	23. I didn't try

-1Meredith nervously rubbed her hands together, the show rehearsal showing up even more problems and she had to leave.

'Right, Greg, take the guys go over every routine a thousand times, make them perfect. Meghan, take the women, do the same,'

'On the stage?' Meredith shook her head.

'Stage is off limits for a couple of hours,'

'Why?'

'I have an…an audition to choreograph another show for a years time,'

'You're leaving me?'

'Not for another year and before I've even started, the show could fall through. Don't worry about it,' Meredith smiled at Meghan, Meghan nodding her head like she knew Meredith was leaving.

'You're Meredith Grey?' Meredith stepped forward and shook the older mans hand. She recognised him instantly, the feeling of sheer amazement that she was in his presence hidden by her confidence.

'That would be me. Peter Stilgo, I know your work,'

'Glad to hear you've got taste,' Meredith smiled.

'That I do. I have two pieces choreographed for you to see,'

'You're dancing for me?'

'What? You want me to pass it on to some one else?'

'No, I like the fact that you're dancing yourself. It shows that you're not afraid to get stuck in and I like that,' Meredith took her top off and fixed her hair up. She started dancing as soon as the music started; her eyes closed allowing her to go into her own world. She forgot about the interview and the fact she was being watched and danced like she used to, before she had to stop dancing. The feeling to two hands on her waist caused her to smile. She automatically started dancing with him, the two of them working in sync with each other. She grabbed onto his arm as he lifted her, her body hanging over his head. As hugged him tightly as he brought her down.

'What are you doing here?'

'A certain person called me and told me that you had an audition for a show and I thought that we could show them what you are really made of,' Meredith hugged Chris again, Peter stilgo unsure of what was going on.

'This is my dance partner, Chris Bryld. He was the guy that put my name forward for Wicked,'

'Ah,' Meredith pushed Chris over to the side, the two of them laughing.

'I can't believe that you came out here,'

'Why?'

'Cause…you live in Boston, it's a long way to come for an audition,'

'Just trust me. We'll do the American smooth and then you can take me for lunch,' Meredith nodded her head and put the disk in Chris standing in the middle of the stage waiting for Meredith. She wrapped herself around him, the two of them in natural rhythm with each other as well as the music.

'Well, I was really impressed with what I saw today. I'll give you a call either tonight or tomorrow morning and let you wither or not the job is yours,'

'Thank you,' Meredith sat in the corner booth in the restaurant, her legs drawn up to her chest. She laughed and joked with Chris, the two of them glad to be in each others company.

'So what's wrong with you?' Meredith looked up from the plate of food she sat playing with.

'What do you mean?'

'I know you, this is the distracted Meredith so what's wrong?' Meredith sighed and pushed the fork down onto the plate.

'If I get the job…I didn't tell Derek that I could be touring for six months…world wide,' Chris nodded his head gently.

'You need to tell him,'

'How? How do I tell him that I'm gonna be out of the states for at least four months? It's not something I think I can tell him,'

'So what? Your just gonna keep calling him every night saying that your working late at the stage? You need to tell him if you want this job,' Meredith nodded her head.

'I know…I…I don't even know if I could leave him here for six months,'

'Meredith you need to tell him, talk to him about what you're actually planning on doing,'

'How Chris? Tell me how and I'll do it?'

'You could go for the after sex shot which I always find makes it easier or the before sex bit which makes it seem better after a while,' Meredith started laughing and threw a piece of lettuce at him.

'Why is everything about sex with you?' Chris tilted his head to the side, Meredith knowing that he was right.

'Cause what you've got to tell him, sex seems like a damn good way to give him the news,'

'I might not get the job,'

'Meredith, I have connections that are telling me, you're the person that he's looking at,'

'God Chris,'

'Go and tell him,'

'Let me get drunk first, then I'll tell him,' Meredith sat, the empty bottles of wine, emptying around her and Chris.

'Well, I have to go and fall into bed in a hotel so that I can make my plane tomorrow,'

'Oh, come on. You need to stay here for more than 24 hours,'

'Sorry but I have to work tomorrow and I don't think Ben would be pleased if I left him for more than a day,'

'At least come back to the house and see Derek,'

'I already have seen him. And anyway, you need to see him and talk to him. You don't get out of it that easily Meredith,'

'You can't say I didn't try,'

'Look, if Derek's the kina guy I think he is, he'll be there for you no matter what and will be so pleased for you,'

'I hope so Chris. I can't loose him,'

'He won't leave you over a job,'

'I hope not,'


	24. MSN

-1Meredith threw her house keys on the side board and smiled as Derek stuck his head round the bedroom door.

'Hey, how did it go?' Meredith put her hands on her hips and smiled at Derek.

'You called Chris?'

'Ah,'

'It went brilliantly,' Derek raised his eyebrows at Meredith.

'But?'

'But what?'

'Something is bothering you,'

'I…em,' Meredith shook her head and went forward, Pushing Derek down onto the bed. He smiled her lips against his. Her hands were holding onto Derek's. Clothes were lost in the moments. Jackets, shirts, trousers, shoes, they were all left in a trail next to the bed. Meredith groaned loudly as his lips worked their way around her body. Meredith pushed her hips against Derek's, the wanting of his body over hers more than she could take for much longer. Meredith could feel it, the feeling of euphoria she would feel coming rapidly, Derek always having that effect. She arched against him, her back forcing her body closer to his. Derek pushed down onto her again, Meredith loving the feeling and never wanting it to end. She held onto him, not wanting to let him go. She opened her eyes slowly, the sun filtering in causing her to squint her eyes. She turned on her side, Derek lying watching her sleep.

'hey,' Meredith wrapped her arm around Derek's neck as he leaned across her to lift the phone.

'Ignore it,' Meredith sighed as he picked it up, Derek handing her the phone. She covered her eyes with her hand before she hung the phone up, Derek looking at her.

'What's wrong?'

'I got the job,'

'So what's bad about that? I thought you wanted the job,'

'I did,'

'Did?'

'There's…I would be out of the states for at least four months,' Derek nodded his head, Meredith looking at his face for some sort of idea of what was happening in his head.

'Derek?'

'Go for it,'

'What?'

'Go for it; go do what you want to do. This is something that might only happen once so just go for it and enjoy it while you can,'

'Its four months,'

'And I'll still be here,' Meredith brought her knee up to her chest, her chin resting on it. Derek rubbed her leg, Meredith looking at him through her hair.

'Go and do this. I'll be right here when you get back,'

'You're serious?'

'Yeah. I love you and I know this is something huge for you. Go for it and enjoy it. This is something that you might only get to do once in your life so enjoy it,' Meredith crawled forward on the bed and took hold of Derek's face. She fell backwards, Derek having to hold himself above her.

'I love you so much,' Meredith rolled out from underneath the sheets and pulled the bottom one with her.

'What are you doing?'

'Come with me,'

'Where?'

'Just trust me and come with me,' Derek pulled his sweat pants on and followed Meredith out. He stood at the balcony door, laughing gently as she stood outside, the sheet wrapped around her and trailing on the ground, the wind blowing her hair everywhere. She put her hand out to him, the two of them standing against each other.

'I promise, when I get back, I won't get another job, where I have to leave New York,'

'You don't,'

'I couldn't and…I don't even know if I can I last away for the six months. But I won't be going anywhere when I get back,'

'You don't have to make that kind of promise,'

'I do and I mean it. Plus, how can we get married if I'm away touring the world?'

'True. You kind of have to be there,' Meredith started laughing, Derek's arms around her waist as they looked out across the skyline of New York.

'You get the phone bill will be huge,'

'Yeah, but you will also never be of the internet,'

'Why?'

'MSN is a wonderful thing,'


	25. Tequila

-1Meredith sat in the middle of the theatre, watching the cast perfect the routine she had spent three weeks teaching them. The four in the morning starts had been fine except the fact she had gotten to bed at one. She hated it, being away from home, being away from Derek. The first month had dragged in, the second even slower. Three months away from Derek was killing her slowly. She'd reach across the bed to hold onto him, but wake up to find she was in an empty hotel room, alone with nothing but silence.

'That looks like a face that could do with a drink,' Meredith looked over her shoulder at Peter as he walked down the aisle towards her.

'Yeah,' He sat down next to her and handed her the mug of coffee

'What's wrong?'

'I miss him,'

'Derek?'

'Yeah. I've never been away from him before and now…truthfully, I hate it. Calls at three in the morning…they're not enough,'

'Do you want to quit?' Meredith hesitated slightly.

'No…I just miss home a lot more than I thought I would. Three months. I can cope for three months…I think,'

'If you need to, you can quit,'

'No peter. I took the job knowing that I would be away from home and away from Derek. The two of us talked about it and we both knew that it would be hard. I just didn't think it would be that hard. Derek's sister called me, he's the same. He wants me to go home so badly but at the same time he says that he wants me to stay. I took the job, and I knew what I was getting into,'

'Just remember though Meredith. You're no use to anyone when you're falling asleep every five minutes,'

'Hey, that's because I only get about three hours sleep a night,'

'True but even when you do get the day off, your still awake all the time. You don't sleep as much as you think on your days off. I know that if I called you, you would answer the phone and be down here in a shot. Don't fool yourself,'

'I'm not. It is the fact that I only get three hours of sleep a night. Your not dancing for most of the day and then getting woken up by some dancer who thinks that you can function on nothing but coffee,'

'Who?'

'Kate,'

''why does she keep calling you?'

'She wants the lead part. She thinks that if she dances perfectly, you'll give her the part,'

'Does she not realise that everyone has already got the parts?'

'I don't know. But she won't leave me alone,'

'I'll talk to her, get you some peace and quiet,' Meredith smiled weakly. Peace and quiet was not what she wanted, she wanted noise and to be kept busy. Meredith lifted her laptop out her bag and prayed that Derek would be online, that maybe he didn't have a life and was sitting waiting for her to come on.

'Meredith?'

'Chris?'

'What are you doing online? Are you not working?' Meredith smiled

'Yeah, but I'm bored. Everyone's just left to go and get lunch so I have an hour to myself. How's Ben?'

'Standing over my shoulder, correcting my spelling,'

'Hey Ben,'

'Meredith!!'

'Hi,'

'How are you?'

'I'm fine, you keeping Chris busy?'

'Yeah. He's not been doing any house work for the past couple of weeks so I got him up and moving around,'

'That surprises me,'

'Hey, I do house work,'

'Yeah,' Meredith looked up to Peter as he walked towards her.

'I sorted it with Kate,'

'Thank you,' Meredith looked back down to the lap top.

'I just got myself a full night sleep,'

'How?'

'I got Peter to talk to the woman that was calling me at three in the morning, asking me to meet her and go over routines with her,'

'Why didn't you just say no?'

'I did Chris but she just wouldn't take no for an answer,' Meredith waited, no reply coming through. She closed the message box down and sighed. She flicked through the countless pictures her and Derek, the ones that they had taken just before she had left. She smiled at the ones at the ferryboats, the two of them having stolen the camera from each other and taken secret pictures of each other. Meredith leaned back in the seat as she found ones she had no idea that Derek had taken. She stood at the edge of the water and waited for the group of ferryboats to pass her, the sun beating down off the water, the reflection against the water showing up on the picture as nothing but a mass of light. Then she found the ones of Derek. He was lying flat in his back, his knees bent, and his arms shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun. He was smiling though, like he was in heaven.

'Mere?' Meredith clicked the box up, Derek's name flashing up.

'Hey, how come you're not working?'

'I am. Sort of. I'm doing 'paper work'

'Of course you are LoL,' Meredith looked around her, making sure no one could see her; she wanted him all to herself.

'I was talking to Chris and Ben earlier,'

'How's Chris coping with the house work?'

'He's not. Bens working his ass off,'

'Meredith I need you to come and talk to Ian. He's got a pain in his leg,'

'I'll be there in a second Peter,' Meredith cursed under her breath.

'I have to go. Peter needs me to take a look at a guy's leg,'

'Ok, I love you,'

'I love you too,' Meredith closed the laptop down and closed her eyes. Peter stood at the stage door and looked at her.

'You ok?' Meredith opened her eyes and smiled.

'Yeah, I'm ok,' Ian gently massaged his leg as he waited for Meredith to come and look at him. She stood with her hands on her hips, watching as the muscle on the top of his leg contracted. The memory of Derek came into her head. She turned and walked out the dressing room, the door closing over behind her. Lifting her jacket and bag, she forgot everything around her. She stood outside, the London people walking past her like she was invisible.

'Meredith,' Meredith ignored Peter calling her name. the cab stopped in front of her, Meredith climbing in and sighing heavily.

'Where to?'

'Worthing Hotel,'

'You need to make any stops?' Meredith hesitated slightly.

'Where can I get a bottle of tequila?'


	26. 21 Days

-1Meredith sat in the empty hotel room, the laptop in front of her, the multiple messages from Derek flashing up. Being in Rome was the hardest place she had been, not being able to speak Italian making life hard on top of the fact she hadn't seen Derek in five months.

'I'm home in three weeks,'

'Too long already,'

'I know, but it's what, 21 days?'

'Still too long. Meghan and Greg were asking for you and Chris says he's gonna come down and see you when you when you get back,'

'I want to come home now,'

'It's only three weeks,'

'Very funny smart ass,' Meredith waited, no response coming from Derek.

'Are you still there?' Meredith closed the laptop over, Derek having given no response. She paced up and down the room, reading over the reviews her show had been given

'Mere I have to go, the chief wants me in' Meredith sighed heavily.

'Ok, I love you,'

'I love you too. I'll call later,' Meredith turned the laptop off, the silence causing her to curl up on herself and fall asleep. But like all the other nights, she had cried, wanting to go home, wanting to be beside Derek. She leaned across the bed and turned the light on, the phone ringing.

'Hello?' Meredith rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock. Seven thirty shone brightly.

'Miss Grey, there is an external call coming through. From New York,' Meredith sat up.

'Put it through please,' Meredith pulled the sheet up around her body and smiled as the voice came through.

'Did I wake you?'

'It's seven thirty, yeah, but you're worth waking up for,'

'That's good to know. I never got back from the hospital, some guy decided to shoot ten people, three of them in the back and head,'

'Busy night?'

'You could say that,' Meredith slid down in the bed, the two of them talking about everything and nothing. Just the sound of each other's voices managed to make being apart easier.

'Only twenty days now,'

'I still want to come home,'

'Just think though, when you get back, I have a whole week off,'

'How?'

'convinced my chief of surgeries that the extra shifts I had covered meant that I could take the time back and I kina took it from the day that you got back,'

'You are too clever for your own good some times,'

'Yeah,' Meredith sighed as the clock hit eight thirty.

'I have to go, Peters wanting to go and see the whole show on his own with no one around,'

'Why?'

'Cause he's an ass,' Meredith smiled as Derek laughed down the phone. She could see him in her head, standing with the phone to his ear laughing.

'He's making the cast do the Latin dance about four times. He sits and picks out all the problems and then makes me change the show,'

'He is an ass,'

'Yeah, but your not an ass. You have a cute ass,'

'I'll take that as a compliment,'

'I love you,'

'I love you too Mere,' Meredith put the phone down and wiped away the tears that had fallen during the call. Twenty days, that's all she could think about. Twenty days and then it would all be over.


	27. One more day

Meredith lifted her bag and made her way off the one am plane she had gotten from Paris. Countless people in front of her that had been sitting in front of her were slowing her up. She spotted him instantly, waiting for her at the gate. She ran towards him, her bag dropping at his feet as she latched onto him, her lips hard pressed against his. She could feel his hands going around her waist, Meredith savouring the touch.

'God I missed you so much,' Derek smiled, Meredith taking his hand as he lifted her bag. He kissed her with every few steps they took, the two of them totally in awe of each other. He held her close, her body pressed against his as they waited for the bag to come off the plane, Meredith having the idea of just leaving it and going home, some where she had longed to be for months.

The drive home was silent, the two of them just glad to be next to each other, in the same place. As soon as she stepped into the house, the clothes were lost in seconds, the two of them wanting each other so badly, the need for each other evident in the way they moved together. Their lips never parted from each other, their hands creeping all over their bodies. For hours, they were next to each other, just looking at each other, taking in every detail of each other, whatever they had missed. Meredith lay beside him, her arm across his stomach, his arm around her shoulders.

'Maybe we should just ignore everyone else,' Meredith nodded and held her hand up to Derek's, Meredith comparing the sizes.

'Peter said something to me…when I was leaving and it's only now I realised what he meant,'

'What did he say?'

'He said he had never seen someone need something so badly, that it made them tired without it,'

'What?'

'I would be working and I could fall asleep if I sat down for more than five minutes. He knew that being away was killing me,' Derek kissed Meredith's head, the phone going.

'Do me a favour?' Derek looked at Meredith as he went to answer it.

'What?'

'Ignore it, just this once, ignore it,' Derek nodded, Meredith lifting the phone and putting it straight back down again. She pulled him out underneath the sheet and wrapped it around the two of them as they stood on the balcony. The sun was starting to rise, Meredith watching it. Derek was watching her, the sun causing her to glow. He couldn't take his eyes off her. He had missed her more than he had let up, knowing she would have come home if she had known the truth.

'So, you gonna keep the promise you made?' Meredith put her hand against Derek's face.

'One more day away, I would have gone mental. So yes, I will be keeping my promise. Anyway, next time I'm going anywhere, you're coming with me,' Derek smiled.

'I was thinking…the next time we were going away anywhere…we could maybe make it a honeymoon?' Meredith turned in the sheet to face Derek.

'Seriously?'

'Yeah,' Meredith leaned up, gently kissing Derek, the two of them stumbling back into the house. Both of them knew then, at that moment, that they would never be apart, no matter what happened.

* * *

Derek woke up, Meredith not beside him, or in the apartment. Pulling on a pair of sweat pants, he made his way along the hall way and out the front door. The concrete was cold on his feet. He pushed the door to the studio open further, Meredith not hearing him coming in. she was singing quietly along with the piano, something Derek had imagined her doing so many times. Derek's scrub pants hung off her, his indigo colour polo shirt that she had taken with her the same.

'You raise me up so I can stand on mountains, you raise me up to walk on stormy sea, I am strong when I am on your shoulders, you raise me up to more than I can be,' Derek stood behind Meredith putting his hands on her shoulders. She took hold of his hand and pulled him down beside her. She put her arms around his neck, Derek's hands gently running up and down her back, him inhaling her scent.

'I can't imagine being on my own anymore. For months after we got together Derek, I could still remember being alone. But now, the whole time I was away, I hated it and I tried so hard to remember what it was like to be alone so that it wouldn't hurt and I couldn't. I never want to be alone again. Being away was killing me Derek. I can't be away from you,'

'Lindsey kept phoning me to make sure that I was sane…and I wasn't. I was going spare without you here,'

'Never again Derek. Never. Never am I leaving here without you. I just can't do it,'

'I know, but I promise you won't have to be,' Derek pulled back after feeling Meredith's breathing becoming sharp and raspy. He smiled gently at her, wiping away the tears that had fallen down her face.

'I promise you won't have to be alone again and I won't let you leave without me,' Meredith smiled, nodding her head. She leaned across her lips linking with his, her hands holding his face close to hers. She leaned her forehead against his, every now and then leaning in and kissing him. She closed over the piano and followed Derek through to the flat. As she lay on the bed beside him, she realised that for the first time in her life, someone had missed her and that she had missed someone to the point that it almost destroyed her. Meredith savoured the new emotion and hoped it would never end cause if it did, she knew she would be back where she started and that was the one place she never wanted to go to again.


	28. Whitecroft

-1Meredith sat on the kitchen counter, watching Derek move around her, making breakfast.

'Pancakes?' Meredith nodded her head as she licked her fingers clean of the jam she had covered herself in.

'Coffee?' Meredith nodded her head frantically.

'Is it just me or have you started eating double what you would usually?'

'Nope, I have,'

'Can I ask why?' Meredith shrugged her shoulders, Derek kissing her forehead lightly.

'You are just too cute,' Meredith crinkled up her nose and smiled broadly, Derek putting the plate of pancakes next to her. she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him over against her.

'I was thinking about a date for the wedding,'

'Oh really?'

'How does July sound?' Derek raised his eyebrows.

'Three months?'

'Yip,'

'You're gonna organise a wedding in three months,'

'You want a massive wedding?' Derek shook his head.

'No, you?' Meredith kissed him hard

'Nope, just family and friends,'

'Then July it shall be,' Meredith clapped her hands together excitedly.

'You need to call your mom,'

'Slow down, we need an exact date first,'

'Fifteenth,'

'Now I'll call her,' Meredith put a piece of the syrup covered pancake into Derek's mouth. The two of them were smitten with each other, Meredith not able to stay away from him.

'I also had another wacky idea,' Derek raised his eyebrows again, partly in happiness that Meredith was thinking about the wedding and partly in surprise of how much she had thought.

'You get a best Man…that's a guy,'

'yeah,'

'And I get a maid of honour that's female,'

'yeah,'

'I thought maybe I could have a guy…Chris,'

'He would love that,'

'Yeah. He's done a lot for me,'

'So I need to get a best man,'

'Do you not have any guy friends?'

'I have guy friends. Mark…'

'You have no guy friends,'

'I'm a surgeon; I don't have any friends,'

'You so do, everyone has friends,'

'I don't,' Meredith wrapped her arms around Derek's neck.

'I could be your friend, if you want,' Derek nodded his head laughing gently.

'That would be good,'

'Are you gonna wear something really stupid,'

'Like what?'

'Like a pair of tights?'

'I wasn't planning on it mere but now you mention it,'

'Don't you dare,'

'What about you?'

'You never get to see the bride before the wedding,'

'That's not fair,'

'That is very fair. Plus your mom would kill me,' Derek lifted Meredith's chin with his hand.

'What about your mom?' Meredith shook her head.

'She's not here Derek so…just forget about it,'

'What do you mean she's not here? You never talk about her and when you do you clam up after about five minutes. You don't know where she is in the world and she doesn't even know that you're engaged. You need to get in contact with her,' Meredith started playing with the engagement ring on her finger.

'You don't get to be mad at me for not telling you,'

'Ok,'

'I know where my mom is…I've known where she's been all along,'

'Meredith?'

'She's in a nursing home…with altzimers,' Derek sighed heavily and held Meredith against his chest.

'I'm so sorry,'

'I'm sorry I never told you,'

'It's ok,' Meredith looked Derek straight in the eyes.

'She has no idea who I am. She's never lucid and they say there's no chance she'll ever get better. I don't go an visit her because I'm worried that if I do…I'll find out stuff I didn't want to. She's not here Derek…so forget about her being there or knowing anything about the wedding, she just wouldn't get it,'

'I'm sorry mere, I'm sorry I pushed it,'

'It's ok. Anyway, I need to talk to your mom; she needs to help me with something that I have planned,'

'We need to find some where to get married first,'

'I already thought about that. We have a choice. Seattle or New York,'

'You want to go back to Seattle?'

'Not really, but your mom is there and so is Lindsey,'

'And? You could just as easily have them come up here,'

'True. There are some beautiful places in mid town,'

'Yeah?'

'There's this amazing house, White croft. This family let people get married in it and hold like functions. Elliott Kirkwood…I think that's the name of the family,'

'You had a look?' Meredith nodded her head gently, like a child waiting to be yelled at for doing something without asking.

'On the laptop?' Meredith nodded again

'Let me see it then,' Meredith lit up, Derek smiling as she opened the laptop up. she leaned down on her arms as she waited for the website to come up, Derek laughing gently as she jumped about.

'There,' Meredith turned the laptop around to face Derek, the look on his face stern. The Victorian detached villa seemed like the perfect place, the grounds around it in perfect condition. Derek shook his head gently, Meredith waiting for the bad news.

'They're only available on the seventeenth,' Meredith lifted her head up.

'You like it?'

'It's perfect,' Meredith sat on Derek's knee as he phoned them, Meredith trying to listen into the conversation down the phone.

'It would appear, that we are getting married on the seventeenth of July,' Meredith covered her mouth with her hand, Derek smiling at her. she kissed him, her hands holding onto his face.

'You need to call your mom now,' Derek nodded.

'She's gonna burst my eardrum,' Meredith stood watching Derek from the balcony, Derek holding the phone away from his ear as his mom started screaming down the phone. Meredith leaned back on the banister outside, her shorts allowing her legs to be tanned, her string top allowing the same for her arms. Derek stood in front of her, his arms pulling her up and against him.

'My mom has decided that she is coming down for the weekend, next week,'

'Excited?'

'You could say that, yeah,'

'You'll need to tell your sisters, Lindsey especially,'

'You remember when we met?'

'I had just fallen over, cracked my head,'

'Yeah. And when we went out for dinner?'

'Dancing on the beach,' Derek kissed Meredith gently.

'I wouldn't change it for the world,'


	29. tats

-1Meredith stood on the stool in the bridal shop, Ben picking up and trying on multiple veils. Meredith turned to the mirror, Ben looking like he was about to burst into tears, Chris the same.

'That is so perfect,' Meredith turned to the side, the fabric flowing down from her chest.

'Meredith, you look incredible,' Meredith looked over her shoulder at Chris and put her hand out to him.

'I am so nervous,'

'Running away nervous?'

'No, excited nervous,' Chris kissed her cheek gently as she stepped down.

'I am so happy for you,'

'Thank you. I think you had better go and get Ben before he starts planning another wedding for you and him,'

'That will make me bankrupt,' Meredith smiled and turned into the mirror again. The dress was light and airy, the material moving with her. The fabric came straight down from her chest, no frills, the thin straps holding it up but still allowing her back to be shown. The silk material hung straight but still seemed like it was light. The simple design of vines and stars entwined together on the bottom gradually making it's way up from the bottom, the tiny crystals shining through out.

'Are you wearing your hair up or down?' Meredith turned to Ben.

'I have no idea,'

'You need a veil,'

'No way. I am not looking like one of those women at funerals,' Ben started laughing before he lifted a folder, the multiple photographs of tiaras covering page after page.

'You need to pick on of these then,' Meredith nodded.

'Hey I'm Grace, can I help you?' Meredith smiled broadly at the young assistant.

'Yeah, I want to get this dress altered slightly. The top half, more fitted underneath the bust, showing more waist,' Grace opened a small pouch of needles, Meredith standing back up onto the stool. She pulled it in slightly under the bust, adding more fabric and pinning it in place. The silk sash ran down from Meredith's shoulder, giving the dress a bigger strap. It ran across her stomach, Meredith loving how the dress showed off her figure. The sash ran round her waist and along the bottom of her back, the fabric loose giving the impression of it being too big.

'Is that ok? Meredith nodded.

'It's perfect,' Chris came up behind Meredith and put his hands on her bare back, the sash coming down and stopping at the bottom of her spine. She smiled, Chris looking like he was gonna cry.

'He is the luckiest guy alive,'

'I need you to do me a huge favour. I want to get something done but I can't do it on my own,' Chris nodded, his face going white when Meredith told him what it was. He drew a line along the bottom of Meredith's back, where the dress started.

'Ok, I'll do it,' Meredith spent the next hour deciding wither cream or white shoes would go with her ivory dress, eventually deciding that Ivory shoes would work.

'Well, I have to love you and leave you,'

'Ben,'

'I'm sorry but I have a huge deal to close,' Meredith smiled.

'I'll see you at the flat later?'

'Of course you will,' Meredith squeezed his hand gently, Ben taking the boxes of shoes, tiara's, jewellery, and multiple bags of make up.

'So, you gonna get this done?' Meredith nodded her head nervously.

'You get that this is gonna hurt like hell,'

'Yeah but I know that it's gonna be worth it,' Meredith pushed the door open, the multiple people sitting around with big red eyes and dressings on various parts of their bodies.

'Hey, can I help you?' Meredith smiled, the young guy taking her through the back of the shop.

'So what kind of tat were you thinking of getting?' Chris flicked through the book, pointing out the various styles of writing to Meredith.

'You want lettering wrapped into another design. Yeah, we can do that. Where?'

'The bottom of my back, above the blue line,' the guy looked at Meredith's back and nodded his head.

'Ok, pick out your design, your lettering and I'll do it now,' Meredith sat and went through each design and lettering style, eventually picking a classy lettering style that slanted to the side, the letters all flowing down and flicking upwards. The letters would be surrounded by tiny stars and flowers, leafs and vines entwining with the letters. She lay on her stomach, Chris holding her hand as the needles went in and out. The tears streamed down her face, the pain something she had never experience before.

'Can you go and grab some coffee?' Chris nodded and escaped from the room quickly, hating to see Meredith in pain.

'I need you to do another tattoo for me, some where else,'

'Where?'

'on my shoulder,'

'What do you want me to do?'

'A star, with a letter inside it. The same style as the one on my back, the flowers and stars and vines around it,'

'Your wish is my command,' Meredith leaned down on the chair as he carefully put the letter inside the star. Chris came back in, Meredith getting a touch up done to her back, Chris oblivious to Meredith's shoulder.

'So make sure you take the dressing off in a couple of hours,'

'When can I put any weight on it?'

'Weight?'

'I'm a dancer,'

'Ah, give in an hour or two and it should be ok. If not, over night,'

'Thank you,' Derek watched Meredith as she eased herself down onto the couch, Chris laughing at her.

'What's wrong?' Meredith shook her head.

'Nothing,'

'Liar,'

'You'll find out. It's a present for you,'

'Me?'

'Yes you. Patience will get you everywhere,' Derek looked at Meredith sceptically and then to Chris who shrugged his shoulders, trying to look as innocent as possible but failing miserably.

'You had better not have some disease that means we have to cancel the wedding,'

'Why?' Derek leaned down on the back of the couch and kissed Meredith gently.

'Cause I plan on spending the rest of my life with you so having some disease would mean we would have to postpone the wedding and that is something I don't want to happen,'

'I promise I don't have some disease. It's a present for you that I know you're gonna love,'

'As long as you're ok,'


	30. on your own

-1Chris gently pulled the dressing off Meredith's back and smiled.

'It's beautiful. He is gonna love it,' Meredith looked in the mirror at the tattoo on her back.

'I'm gonna head back to the hotel for a couple of hours and see Ben, find out how the deal went. I'll give you a call when I'm coming back over, give you a chance to show Derek,'

'Thank you for coming with me today,'

'I wouldn't have let you go on your own,' Meredith looked in the mirror, her hand gently tracing over the tattoo. She peeled the dressing on her shoulder off and admired the D inside the purple star. She let the hot water from the shower run over both tattoos. The dried blood washed away, Meredith able to see them in their full glory. She wrapped the white towel around herself and covered her shoulder with her hair. Derek never noticed her shoulder as she dried her hair, Meredith wanting to show him later. He sat on the couch, Meredith coming up behind him and leaning down on his shoulders.

'I have a surprise for you,' Derek looked up to her, Meredith biting her lip and taking his hand. She gently led him into the bedroom, Meredith sitting at the top of the bed. She moved her hair out the way, Derek's eyes going straight to the tattoo.

'It's beautiful,' Meredith smiled, Derek kissing her hard.

'I wanted you to know that I want this to go on forever,'

'So do I,' Meredith pulled Derek down on top of her, gently kissing him. She turned and lay on her stomach, Derek gently sliding the towel down off her back. He stopped as the towel reached the bottom of her back, revealing the large tattoo that ran across her back. The D, M and S were entwined in amongst leafs, stars and flowers, the date that they had got engaged written in as well. He started kissing her bare back, Meredith arching to the touch. She turned over and sat up, the smile on Derek's face.

'It's amazing,' Meredith took hold of his head in her hands as she fell backwards onto the bed. Within seconds they were both under the sheets, the two of them moving with each other, skin against each other. Meredith lay sleeping, Derek running his hands up and down her back, his lips along the new tattoo that was only just exposed by the sheet that lay across her lower back. She opened her eyes slowly, Derek lying down beside her.

'So you like the tattoos then?' Derek smiled.

'I love them,'

'The one on my back's not finished. I wanted to be on the safe side. Only when we get married, will the date get put in,'

'Smart thinking,' Derek tucked the pieces of hair behind Meredith's ear.

'This time next month, we're gonna be married,' Derek started smiling.

'That is the best thought in the world right now,' Derek supported his head on his hand, his other hand on Meredith's back.

'You know what an even better thought is?'

'What?'

'I'm gonna have your name,' Derek tilted his head to the side

'You're taking my name?'

'Yeah. I love you and I love your name. Why not?'

'I just thought you we're gonna keep your own name,'

'You want me to keep my own name?' Derek shook his head.

'You can have anything,' Meredith slipped out and pulled on a pair of scrub bottoms, Derek watching her from the bed.

'Where are you going?'

'You'll see,' Derek listened to the banging coming from the kitchen, Meredith coming back into the bedroom, the bottle of wine in her hands with two glasses.

'You are full of good ideas,'

'Yeah,' Meredith slipped the scrub pants and her bra off and climbed back under the sheets. The tattoo was giving her back pain, causing her to lie on her stomach. She turned the glass round in her hand, the wine going in the same direction.

'What are you thinking about?'

'When I was away, I never imagined that we would be getting married within four months of me being back. It's amazing,'

'So are you,' Meredith's hair fell in front if her face, Derek instantly putting it back behind her ears.

'What else are you thinking about?' Meredith looked up at Derek.

'I know that we're just getting married and that life's been hectic. I get that. But see after the wedding and everything,'

'Meredith, relax,'

'Kids?' Derek nodded his head

'Yeah,'

'I just…ok I'm just open my mouth and let everything fall out,'

'That sounds like a good idea,' Meredith smiled.

'I never thought that I'd want kids, truthfully I never really thought about them, the idea that dancing would be everything I ever needed. Then I met you and everything fell into place. Dancing wasn't all that I cared about and I started to think about kids,'

'Ok,'

'I don't know how or why, but,'

'You want kids?'

'Yeah. You?' Derek lay on his stomach next to Meredith, the sun coming in through the window that faced them. Gently he tilted Meredith's head towards himself, Meredith smiling as he kissed her.

'I'd love to,' Meredith pushed Derek down onto the bed, her hips hard against his. Her head fell as the phone started ringing.

'You get that's Chris and Ben saying that they're on their way,'

'Ignore it,'

'You want them to walk in on us?' Derek smiled as he turned, Meredith underneath him. His lips made their way across her hip, his hair running across her stomach.

'I'm guessing you don't really care,' Meredith pulled on Derek's scrub pants and ran along the hall to the front door, Chris and Ben standing with their hands covering their eyes.

'Go cover yourself up,' Meredith laughed and pulled the two of them into the house.

'Don't be drama queens,'

'Hey guys,' Derek tied his sweat pants up as he came out the bed room, Ben's eyes nearly falling out his head.

'Derek, go and put a shirt on, Bens about to pass out,' Derek put his arm around Meredith's waist and pulled her back into the bedroom with him, the door closing behind them.

'I'm guessing he liked the tattoo then,'


	31. Memories

-1Meredith sat in the large hotel room, the place full of people moving around, Derek's sisters sitting talking, Cathy and Ben talking over wither white lilies should be used at Weddings or funerals. Chris stood at the bathroom door, looking at Meredith. she seemed preoccupied, like she wanted to be some where else.

'Come with me,' Meredith lifted her cell and room key, no one noticing the two of them leaving.

'What are you doing?'

'Take your shoes off,'

'Chris,'

'Please,' Meredith threw her shoes into the corner of the large function suite, the sun setting lighting up the wooden floors. She started smiling as Chris came over into the middle of the room, the music they had danced to at the championship starting to play.

'Call it your last un married dance,' Meredith nodded and closed her eyes as the music moved her and Chris in sync with each other. He lifted her up again, the two of them realising that this would probably be the last time they would have to dance together, with no cares or stresses. Meredith never noticed Derek standing at the door watching her, watching how she moved with Chris. She stopped dancing and stood with Chris in the middle of the room, Chris hugging her.

'No matter what Mere, I'm always here for you, even when you don't want me to be or when you push me away, I'm still here. When I got married to Ben you made the same promise and you've kept it all these years. Now it's my turn,'

'Thank you, for not giving up on me. When Jason dropped me, you kept me above water, you made sure that no matter what I still got up at seven and that I kept dancing,'

'I was the one, who tipped off the federation about the steroids,' Meredith pulled back and looked at Chris.

'Why?'

'Cause of what that son of a bitch did to you, I had to,' Meredith hugged Chris tightly.

'Thank you,' Chris left Meredith standing in the middle of the room, Meredith unable to process what was happening or what Chris had done for her.

'You ok?' Meredith looked over at Derek and nodded her head.

'I'm amazing,'

'Yeah, you are,' Meredith put her hand out to Derek.

'Two days…it seems like it was yesterday we were arranging the date,'

'Yeah. I have something to show you,'

'What?'

'That would ruin it. Meet me here, tonight, at eleven,'

'What are you up to?'

'Trust me,' Meredith nodded her head as Derek left her in the hall. She lifted her shoes and walked back up to the large, now silent hotel room. She sat on the end of the bed, sighing heavily. The door opened, Meredith looking over. Ben walked in, a pink bag hanging from his hand, a pile of large boxes in his other hand.

'I know Chris isn't doing the whole something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue thing…since you haven't told him yet, so I am,' Meredith smiled as Ben sat, crossed legged on the bed.

'Something new,' Meredith opened the large box, the set of white underwear lying out.

'I know it might seem slightly perverted that I bought you underwear but it kina has two purposes. One you something new and a surprise for Derek at the same time,' Meredith laughed gently.

'Something borrowed,' Meredith opened the smallest of the boxes and instantly recognised the bracelet.

'You wore this, when you married Chris,'

'Yeah,'

'it will be on my wrist when I marry Derek, I promise,'

'Something blue. This was actually Chris's idea,' Meredith laughed as the box fell out the pink bag.

'Blue condoms, you guys really have a sense of humour,'

'Now this, this is the most important one,' Meredith lifted the biggest box and lifted the sheets of tissue paper off the book. She ran her hands over the front cover.

'This might not seem old, but it is, in a way,' Meredith opened it, her hand covering her mouth as the countless pictures of her and Chris dancing filled the pages. The news paper cuttings, the magazine interviews they had done when they had first started dancing together.

'Thank you,'

'That's not all for the something old. This is something that's gonna become old,' Meredith looked at the second book that Ben handed her, the large wedding book filled with notes of well wishers and spaces for photographs.

'These are incredible,'

'You've been through a lot to get to where you are today Meredith, enjoy every minutes of it, you deserve it. Ignore anything that goes wrong, it's you and Derek's day, enjoy it, memorise it,'

'I will,'

'Promise?' Meredith took hold of Ben's hand

'I promise,' Meredith wiped the tears that had fallen away and looked at the clock.

'I need to go and meet Derek down stairs,' Meredith lifted her key, not bothering a jacket.

'Meredith,'

'Yeah,' Meredith turned and smiled at Ben

'Enjoy it,'


	32. Cold sides of the bed

-1Meredith stood in the hallway of the house, beginning to regret not bringing a jacket.

'Hey,' Meredith turned and smiled at Derek.

'I officially hate the fact your family are here,'

'Why?'

'Cause they won't let me see you,' Derek smiled and took hold of Meredith's hand.

'Where are you taking me?'

'Have a little faith,'

'Derek,'

'Give me a chance,' Meredith held Derek's hand between her two hands, the Elliott's smiling as they seen Derek sneaking about the house. Meredith stopped the glass doors.

'Where are we going?'

'I have a surprise for you,'

'Derek, it's dark outside and it's cold. This had better be good,'

'Have faith,' Meredith walked down the concrete stairs and out onto the grass. Derek lifted her up, Meredith's arms around his neck.

'Like seriously, this is getting very strange,'

'We're nearly there,' Derek stopped at the bottom of the garden, Meredith looking up to the sky. The stars were bright.

'Surprise,' Meredith was in awe of the brightness of the stars, the sky dark like silk. Meredith leaned back against Derek, using his arms for heat. She brought her gaze down and stepped back further against Derek.

'Is the car in the driveway?'

'Yeah, why?'

'Do you have the keys with you?'

'Yeah and again why?' Meredith lifted the keys out Derek's pocket and pulled him by the hand up to the car, Meredith laughing gently.

'Ok, what are you doing?'

'Have a little faith Derek,' Meredith pulled out the driveway, Derek amazed she could drive while holding onto his hand all the way. She pulled into the hotel parking lot, Derek raising his eyebrows at her.

'I had a feeling we might be going out so I have something planned…just me and you,' Meredith sighed the release forms, Derek going into the elevator in front of her.

'Where are we going?' Meredith looked over her shoulder, Derek's hands gently on her waist as they went to the top floor. The corridors of rooms were empty, the silence eerie. Meredith opened the room door, pulling Derek into the room with her.

'I can't get you on your own for five minutes, your mom is in the room next door, your sisters are refusing to let me see you and I can't wait any longer,' Derek laughed gently. Meredith fell back onto the bed, Derek coming down on top of her. She lifted her body towards him, his hands running up and down her sides, his lips working across her hpis and up to her neck. The clothes they had on were lost, the pile spread all around the bed. Neither of them cared about the pagers or phones that rang while they we're together, the two of them unable to stay away from each other. Meredith sat on Derek's hips, the sheet falling down around her waist. She pinned his arms above his head, Meredith easing herself down gently, her lips hard pressed against his. The touch though, sent her body weak, her strength gone from her arms. Derek turned, the two of them wrapping the sheets around themselves without even caring. Meredith could feel the sensations pulsing through her body and the feeling of Derek's heart beat told her he was the same. Wrapping her legs around his waist, Meredith lifted herself up, the two of them eye level with each other. Meredith smiled and pushed against Derek, causing him to fall backwards onto the bed, Meredith pinning him again. She worked her way down his body, Derek pulling her back up, making him level with her. Derek ran his fingers through her hair, Meredith letting his name fall off her lips as he kissed down her neck. The sheets lay around them, the single one covering them as they lay facing each other on the bed.

'Like I said, your mom is in the next room and your sisters are refusing to let me see you,'

'And I couldn't wait,' Meredith laughed as she slipped out from under the sheets, trying to find the clothes that had been lost hours before.

'We could just stay here until tomorrow,'

'I don't think you could explain that to your mom easily,'

'I'll say I was needed at the hospital,'

'And me? What do I say? I had to go and choreograph a show?'

'It might work,' Meredith crawled back onto the bed, her tracksuit bottoms hanging off her, her white t shirt looking more like it had been painted on.

'Just think though…we're gonna have two weeks of no calls, no pagers, no shows, no rehearsals, no hospital, no leaving in the middle of sex for some trauma page,' Derek laughed gently, Meredith recklessly pressing herself onto him.

'Get dressed, we need to get back before they have any idea where we are,'

'We could say we were getting food,'

'At three in the morning,'

'And…'

'What? Were we catching it ourselves?'

'Not a bad idea,' Meredith handed the keys back to reception, the young receptionist knowing exactly what they had been up to, and smiling broadly at them for it.

'Have a nice day,' Meredith and Derek walked out the hotel hand in hand, the two of them too preoccupied to even notice the rain that had started to fall.

'This time tomorrow we'll be getting ready for the wedding,' Meredith nodded her head.

'I can't wait, like really, can't wait,'

'You couldn't wait earlier and look where it got us. So I am happy to repeat it again if you still can't wait,'

'We need to get back and I would love to take you up on that offer but I wouldn't be able to look your mother directly in the eye otherwise,' Derek laughed, Meredith bringing her legs up to her chest as they drove back to the house. Meredith stood at her room door, pushing Derek away before she pulled him back in again, kissing him hard.

'I love you,' Meredith watched from her door as he walked across the hall, and stumbled into the darkened room. She sighed heavily and closed her own door. She jumped slightly as Chris sat on the end of the bed, smiling broadly at her.

'What are you doing in here?'

'I know what you we're doing but I don't know where,' Meredith's face went scarlet.

'I just wanted to make sure you we're ok,' Meredith nodded her head, Chris kissing her on the head as he left. Meredith climbed into bed and lay staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep due to the empty side. She tossed and turned before she finally gave up the fight. Tip toeing across the hall in her skimpy string top and shorts that we're barely covering her, she opened the door and stumbled across the carpet, being careful of what she stood on. Lifting the sheets up, she slipped into the bed beside him, his arms instantly going around her.

'You couldn't sleep either,'

'Your side was empty so I gave into temptation,' Meredith held onto Derek's arm that ran across her stomach, her hand fitting into his. Within minutes, the two of them were fast asleep, not worrying about cold sides of beds.


	33. Body Heat

-1**Happy new year peps. I am so sorry that I've not updated sooner but fan fiction didn't like me and then their were illnesses and life. So have three chapters and please review XD**

Meredith stood at the window, Derek coming up behind her with coffee.

'Hey,' she smiled as he kissed the side of her face.

'I seen your mom this morning,' Derek chuckled to himself.

'Let me guess, your face went bright red,' Meredith nodded her head.

'Chris just gave me twenty questions as to why you weren't in your own bed last night,'

'What did you say?'

'I said i knew nothing,'

'You get that we'll get twenty questions if we go for something to eat,'

'So?'

'I can't look your mother in the face Derek,' Derek laughed and lifted Meredith up, her legs around her waist.

'Truthfully, she doesn't even care about what we get up to. As long as we end up happy, she'll go with anything,' Meredith held onto Derek's face and kissed him, only breaking apart when the door was rattled gently.

'Derek?' Meredith sat at the top of the bed, underneath the covers with the mug of coffee, trying to look as innocent as possible.

'Hey Karen,'

'Meredith, hey. Derek mom wants to talk to you about something,' Derek lifted his shirt and left Meredith alone with Karen.

'I heard you coming in here last night,'

'I'm sorry if I woke you,'

'No I was awake…you can't be apart from him can you?' Meredith sat playing with her hair, her and Karen getting comfortable in the bed under the covers.

'We…I mean,'

'I know what you two got up to last night so you can relax,'

'When we got back I tried to fall asleep…but…when I was working for six months and I never seen him, I was lucky if I could fall asleep easily. I hated his side of the bed being cold. So last night, I had the choice of struggling to fall asleep or coming in here and falling asleep almost instantly. And to be honest, he was the same. He was wide awake,'

'That is so sweet,'

'It's a bit of a pain in the ass. Tonight…it's gonna be hell,'

'You'll fall asleep easily. Trust me,'

'No, I can't sleep unless he's beside me,' Meredith smiled broadly as Anna, Stacy and Lindsey came in beside her and Karen. They sat laughing and joking, Derek's secrets of when he was small coming out. Derek walked into the room and stopped suddenly.

'Either I'm dreaming or my sisters are sharing a bed with my fiancé,'

'Nope, we are sharing a bed with her. sharing body heat,' Derek shook his head and left them to it.

'When does Tina arrive?' Anna looked down into the mug of coffee

'I don't know,' Meredith tilted her head to the side, trying to look at Anna's face.

'She…she didn't want to come. She said she would come if she felt like it,'

'Why?'

'She thinks that all I care about is the business and that our relationship means nothing so she doesn't see the point in pretending to a group of people that everything is rosy when really we're falling apart at the seems,'

'Anna,'

'Linds, she's just…she couldn't give a crap about wither or not we sink or swim out in Prague,'

'What makes you say that?'

'She doesn't help out…I'm getting orders in for advertising designs by the bucket load but she couldn't give a crap. It's the same with us,'

'You want to get married?' Anna nodded her head.

'Anyway, forget about her. It's her loss,'

'It is,' Anna smiled at Meredith, Anna loving the fact that not only was Meredith non judgemental about her being gay, but also the fact she would give her relationship advice.

'Well I have some good news,' Meredith looked at Karen.

'My divorce came through last week so I am officially a single woman again,'

'But not so single. Ryan is sleeping down the hall,' Karen's face went scarlet, Meredith laughing gently.

'You love him don't you?' Karen nodded her head.

'I'm so happy for you,' Karen looked up, her eyes full of contentment.

'Well I am single and loving it,' Meredith smiled at Lindsey

'I'll take that action,' Stacy took a large drink out the mug.

'You need to let me see your dress,'

'You'll see it when he does. Only two people have seen it so far and until the wedding, only one other person will,'

'Who?' Meredith looked down into the mug of coffee.

'They'll find out in good time,'

'Come on,'

'Nope, they'll find out in good time,'

'You are such a spoil sport. I design them for a living,'

'And you can steal my idea once I've worn it,'

'You designed your own dress?'

'I had a basic design and I added to it, making it my own,'

'Good idea. You'd be surprised how many women just get a dress and wear it without making it their own,' everyone looked at Stacy and started laughing.

'What?'

'This is a wedding, stop working,'

'That coming from the woman who keeps calling Prague to find out if she's got any new jobs,'

Yeah yeah,' Meredith cursed as Derek's phone started going, her name flashing up on it.

'Derek shepherd's phone,'

'_what the hell are you doing in bed with my sisters? If I find out any secrets are being told, some one will have to pay,' _

'I'm sorry Dr Shepherd's not here at the moment,' Meredith smiled as Derek started laughing.

'_My mom's asking me to get you. She wants to talk to you about something,'_

'What did I do?'

'_Nothing, she just wants to talk,'_

'I can't look her in the face,'

'_Try, you never know,'_

'You get that I hate you right now,' Meredith chuckled down the phone as she slipped out from underneath the sheets. She opened the room door, Derek standing right outside.

'That could be classed as being slightly perverted, listening in to conversations between five women in a bed,'

'Not when four of them are my sisters and one the love of my life,'

'Who might she be?' Meredith put her arms around Derek's neck.

'Oh she knows who she is,' Meredith kissed him gently but stepped back suddenly as Cathy came out her bedroom.

'I'll get you that…um list,' Meredith scurried into the bedroom.

'She must think me and your father never had a sex life,' Derek cringed, the laughs of his sisters, causing him to do the same. Cathy knocked Meredith's door gently, Meredith opening it.

'Can I talk to you?'

'Yeah, of course. You don't have to knock. This room is huge. It's good when people are in it,' Cathy nodded and sat on the bed next to Meredith.

'When Derek's dad Charlie and I got married, it was a rushed thing. We literally bought our wedding bands the hour before we got married and we have two strangers off the street as our witnesses. You and Derek, you made tomorrow your day. You didn't do it to make other people happy. And that…that was the only thing I asked Derek to do. Was to make it your day, that no matter what you would remember forever,'

'The only thing that will make tomorrow perfect is the fact that Derek's family are there. You…you welcomed me into your family with open arms and you didn't care about the fact I was a dancer. You never let anything like that change what you thought about me,'

'can I ask you something Meredith?'

'Of Course,'

'Where is your family?' Meredith smiled and looked to the wall.

'My mom and dad split up when I was young. My dad…I have no idea where he is. My mother…she's in a nursing home with Altzimers. She has no idea who I am or what I do. I have no brother or sisters that I know about anyway. The only family I had were Ben and Chris. Now I have Derek,'

'And now, now you have us,' Meredith took hold of Cathy's hand.

'Thank you,'

'Thank you Meredith. Thank you for making Derek happy,'


	34. Cold Feet

-1Meredith stood in front of the floor length mirror and smiled. Chris stood behind her, his hands on the top of her arms.

'You look amazing,' Meredith turned to face Chris.

'I know…I kina said that Lindsey was maid of honour but I kina lied. You are,' Chris raised his eyebrows at Meredith.

'What?'

'You're my maid of honour…Derek's got Mark and I wanted someone that's known me from the beginning and you have so you are…if you want to that is,'

'You spring this on me…like three hours before the wedding but I'd love to,' Meredith looked to the door as it opened slightly, Cathy sticking her head round the door.

'Hey Cathy,' Chris left Meredith to it, Cathy taking hold of Meredith's hand.

'I wore these…when I married Derek's father. And I know that you've probably got boxes and boxes of jewellery to wear but I just wanted you to have these anyway, as a token of good luck,' Meredith opened the box, the diamond stud earrings catching the light.

'They're beautiful. And I will wear them,' Cathy hugged Meredith, careful of Meredith's dress.

'Stacy will be wanting the design for that,' Meredith nodded her head

'As soon as today is over, she can have it,' Cathy gently brushed Meredith's cheek with her hand.

'I wish you all the happiness in the world. You both deserve it, with Derek's accident and then with your work, you've not had the easiest run at this and you both deserve to be happy,' Meredith nodded her head.

'We've not told anyone or went into any detail about it, but…me and Derek, we were talking and after the wedding…we're gonna start family,' Cathy's face lit up, Meredith smiling broadly at her.

'We've not set any plans or anything like that but we know that after the wedding we're gonna try for a baby,' Cathy wiped her face, Meredith hugging her.

'I better go and make sure that he's ready. He's worse than me sometimes,' Meredith laughed gently, Cathy kissing her forehead.

'Enjoy today Meredith,' Meredith turned her attention back to the window before she stepped out onto the balcony. She turned her head to the side, Derek standing down in the parking lot talking with Mark. Cathy came out, Meredith unaware that Anna was standing behind her.

'Please don't jump,' Meredith looked behind her over her shoulder, Anna smiling.

'You look beautiful. My brothers a lucky man. You ready?' Meredith nodded her head. She sat the end of the bed, Anna pinning her hair up. She looked at Meredith in the mirror, her hands trembling.

'Cold feet?' Meredith looked up.

'No, not at all. More nerves,'

'What for?'

'Truthfully I have no idea,'

'Relax, things will go smoothly if you give them a chance,' Meredith took a deep breath in, Anna pinning her hair up, bit buy bit. Meredith leaned down and lifted the tiny box up, the tiara sitting wrapped in the tissue paper.

'Ben, when we were in the shop, demanded that it be wrapped up,'

'He knows what he's talking about,' Meredith stood up, Anna noticing the tattoo on her back.

'when did you get that done?'

'About a month ago?'

'What's the date?'

'The date is when we got engaged. I'm getting the wedding put in…when we get back,'

'It's gorgeous Meredith,' Meredith played with the bangle nervously on her wrist, Chris coming in an hour later.

'It's time,' Chris lifted the bouquet of flowers, the white roses and fuchsias wrapped in pink ribbon.

'You ready?' Meredith nodded her head excitedly.

'Yeah,' the service was simple and short, Meredith and Derek both wanting it kept that way. Everyone clapped and cheered, Meredith and Derek holding onto each other as they walked out the hall, Derek's arm around her waist.

'There's a call for you,' Meredith looked to Derek before she lifted the phone. She started smiling before she took hold of Derek's hand and followed him through into the small reception hall.

'Who was that?'

'Peter. He says congratulations,'

'Yeah?' Meredith nodded her head.

'So, you gonna dance with me?' Derek started smiling as he pulled Meredith over into the middle of the room, the song Amazed by Lonestar playing in back ground. She started laughing, Derek spinning her around.

'I'll take that as a yes then'


	35. Kill Her

-1Meredith lay on her side watching Derek, the sun coming in and hitting his back.

'You're watching me,' Meredith leaned forward, gently kissing Derek.

'It's impossible not to,' Derek opened his eyes, Meredith lifting the clothes off the floor, her dress in a heap.

'What are you doing?'

'What? You throw clothes all over the place last night, it's a mess,'

'I never heard you saying anything when they were coming off and I wasn't the only one,' Meredith faltered

'See?'

'Ok, you win that one,' Derek smiled smugly before he pulled Meredith back down onto the bed, Meredith sitting on his hips.

'Who text you last night?' Meredith started smiling.

'Chris. He said he could hear us all the way down the stairs,' Derek started laughing, Meredith covering his lips with hers.

'I can't believe that yesterday, we got married,' Meredith smiled at Derek.

'You had better believe it. Unless you're secretly trying to tell me that the whole wedding was a sham and that your not who you say you are,'

'No, I didn't mean it like that Mere,' Meredith leaned down, her weight on her hips.

'Prove it,' Derek started laughing, pinning Meredith down underneath him. She lifted her body towards him, his hands running up and down her sides, his lips working across her hips and up to her neck. Her arms came up and round his back, his hands holding himself up over her, Meredith lifting her hips up to him. Meredith sat up sharply, easing herself on top of Derek, both of them feeling the intensity grow, both of them pushing further. She pushed down on Derek's hands, their fingers entwined as they moved together in sync. Derek's name fell off Meredith's lips, Derek pushing down onto her. Meredith's nails dug into Derek's back, the two of them falling backwards onto the bed.

'Ok, you proved you point,' Meredith curled up into Derek's side, falling asleep while Derek drew circles on her back. She woke up, the smell of coffee filling the room. Derek held the mug to her, allowing her time to sit up.

'You ok?' Meredith nodded her head, Derek smiling at her. The room door was chapped; Meredith pulling the sheets up around herself.

'Good morning Mrs Shepherd,' Meredith crinkled her nose up and smiled broadly at Chris.

'How you feeling?'

'Like I could just stay in bed all day,'

'Well, that can't happen since you were a stupid person and organised a lunch today,'

'Shit yeah,' Derek stuck his head out the bathroom door.

'You arranged a lunch, today of all days?'

'I never thought. Anyway, we left early last night so we need to make up for it,'

'Yeah, and you both forgot that we were right underneath you,' Meredith's face went scarlet.

'Did we keep you up?'

'No, Ben did,' Derek laughed from the bathroom.

'Seriously though, be aware that your sisters and sisters in law might have heard you. You're just lucky that me and Ben swapped rooms with your mom,'

'Thank you,'

'Hey, thank Ben he convinced her that our room was bigger and that she should have it,'

'Smart man,'

'He knew that was what would happen. Like seriously what were you guys doing with the walls? Knocking them down?' Meredith laughed as Derek started chocking in the bathroom.

'I don't want to know right?' Meredith nodded her head.

'Anyway, you had better get ready; you arranged it for an hour's time,'

'I am stupid,'

'Yeah you are,' Meredith threw the pillow at the door as Chris left.

'I am stupid,' Derek crawled up to the top of the bed and smiled.

'No your not, you are the most amazing woman in the world,'

'Yeah?'

'Oh god yeah,' Meredith pulled her jeans on, watching Derek get ready.

'I so hope your mom didn't hear us,'

'She won't have,' Meredith looked over her shoulder at Derek, pulling Derek's navy fleece on. Anna stood outside the house on the gravel driveway, Meredith spotting her on the way to the reception hall.

'Derek, I'll get you in there,' Meredith came up behind her, Anna smoking the cigarette.

'Anna?' She turned, wiping the tears away with her thumb.

'Anna what's wrong?'

'Nothing,'

'Anna,'

'It's your wedding; let's just focus on that,'

'Right now, my main concern is you. What's wrong?'

'I called Tina. She said…she's with another woman,'

'What?'

'I called and she said this is Tina Firth with a very fit woman between her thighs. There was a load of laughing so I hung up and called Davie. He went round and found her in bed with some woman. I called her and she said we we're over. She's giving me her half of the business and she's moving out, in with the woman…she was in bed with,' Meredith hugged her, Anna crying into her shoulder.

'God help her when she realises what she's just lost,'

'I hate her…I hate her so much,'

'I know. Come on in, come and have something to eat, we'll talk about it,'

'I'm gonna pass,'

'Anna,'

'I can't go and pretend that I'm fine when I'm not and I'm not gonna ruin this for you. Go and have fun and I'll talk to you later,'

'Anna, come and have something to eat at least,'

'No, I'm ok,' Meredith sighed as they went back inside, Anna heading back up to her room. She sat next to Derek, Derek looking at her.

'What's wrong?' Meredith whispered in Derek's ear, Derek getting up instantly and nearly running up to her room. Lindsey came up and sat next to Meredith

'What's wrong?'

'Tina's just ended it…after Anna found out she was in bed with another woman,'

'What!'

'Derek's with her now,'

'I swear, I see her, I'll kill her,'


	36. Angel

-1**I am an ass and I am so sorry for not updating. To say sorry, have three chapters. let me know what you think XD**

Meredith kicked the house door open and sighed heavily, the emptiness and silence annoying her. The scribbled note on the table made her grumble and fall onto the bed, not caring about anything else. Derek wasn't due back from the hospital for another three hours, Meredith hating it. Reaching her hand under the pillows she pulled out a small box, the white piece of paper with her name on it causing her to smile.

'I knew you would be pissed that I wasn't there so take this as a sorry,' Meredith opened the box and smiled before she started laughing, unsure of what it was for. The key fitted into her hand, another piece of paper underneath it.

'Under the bed, unlock the box and I'll see you when I get back,' Meredith lifted the edge of the duvet, the silver box underneath it. she pulled it out, the box weightless. She wrestled the box and finally got the key to turn, her face breaking out in a smile as the disk sat with a smaller box on top of it. she closed her eyes and groaned as the phone started ringing.

'_Meredith?'_

'Yeah,'

'_I need you to come down here,'_

'First of all, who the hell is this and second, what's wrong?'

'_It's Greg and Meghan has decided to call in sick and leave me with an entire show to prepare for a show due to open in a months time,'_

'Are you in Hickman theatre?'

'_Yeah,'_

'I'll be there soon,'

'_You're an angel,'_

'Yeah yeah, you can kiss my ass when I get there,' Meredith put her hands on her hips and looked around the apartment. She shrugged her shoulders, knowing it would be better to be doing something than sitting around lonely. She lifted the small box and her bag and drove to the theatre, the memories of the drive at three and four in morning after a showing of Wicked coming back, never getting the chance with Son of a Witch. Greg stood outside with a mug of coffee in his hands, Meredith raising her eyebrows as she went in. everyone stood against the walls, chatting and not bothering to move a muscle.

'What show are they doing?'

'Your show?'

'Where's the choreographer?'

'Kind of in a different state. Her mother died,'

'You should have called me sooner,'

'I know I know,' Meredith threw her bag into the corner and peeled her shirt off. All the male dancers looked at her as she put her hair up in a bun, her black sports bra causing them to loose interest in the dancers around them. She stripped down to her underwear and pulled her black tracksuit on over her bare feet. She stood in the middle of the hall, Greg behind her.

'Who's playing Lirr?'

'Him,' Greg pointed to a tall dark haired man, Meredith nodding her head.

'ok, I recommend you stand back,'

'Why?'

'Cause I am about to yell so loud, when I say jump, they're all gonna ask how high,' Greg stood at the door, every dancer taking notice as she started yelling.

'WE HAVE ONE MONTH TO GET THIS SHOW UP AND RUNNING. YOU THINK THAT STANDING AGAINST A WALL IS GONNA HELP YOU LEARN THE ROUTINES? THAT'S GONNA LOOK SO GOOD FOR THE PEOPLE WHO PAY EIGHTY DOLLARS TO COME AND SEE YOU. I WANT THE MALES AT THE BACK, FEMALES TO THE FRONT AND DON'T UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES CALL ME A BITCH CAUSE I SWEAR OT GOD YOUR FEET WON'T TOUCH THE GROUND AS I KICK YOUR ASS OUT. LIRR, GET YOUR ASS UP HERE,' everyone was silent, Meredith showing them each step as a large group.

'What's your name?'

'Dylan,'

'You think you can play Lirr?'

'Yeah,'

'Cockiness, I like it in a dancer but not one that has no idea what any of the solo dances are,'

'Why?'

'Cause you have no idea what you're gonna be asked to do. For all you know you could be suspended from the ceiling by a millimetre wide string,'

'Am i?'

'We'll see. Lift me up and hold onto my leg, see what strength you've got,'

'I usually do the lifts with Kara,'

'Good for you, lift me,' Greg stood up off the wall as Meredith went up and smiled as she came back down the guys back slowly.

'Glad to see you have some sort of strength. Go next door and practise lifting Kara. You need to do it at least nine times in one routine, never mind the other ones,' Meredith looked into the large chorus that stood in front of her, in perfectly straight lines.

'Greg, get changed. You are not leaving me to do this on my own,' Meredith showed them basic moves and walked amongst them as they repeated them over and over again, Meredith fixing any mistakes that they we're making.

'Ok, now put that all together,' Meredith went through, Kara and Dylan lifting over and over again.

'Try that out on me, only holding me up by my hand,' Dylan raised his eyebrows as he lifted Meredith. Meredith felt the sharp pain, her elbow giving way and sending her to the floor. She covered her head, her side getting the blow. She opened her eyes slowly, Greg coming into the room.

'What happened?'

'I'm fine,' Meredith sat up, Greg instantly pushing her back down.

'No you don't. You stay still as hell. Go and call an ambulance,'

'No way,'

'Meredith, I'll call Derek,'

'You're an ass. He's not even at home anyway,'

'Even better,' Meredith groaned as the paramedics looked at her side, Meredith's breathing becoming heavy and raspy.

'I think she may have broken a rib and punctured her lung. Let's get her up onto the gurney and get her checked out,' Dylan lifted her up.

'Make sure…he doesn't call Derek,'

'Ok, just stay still for god sake,' Meredith lay strapped to the bed, the oxygen mask blocking her view.

'What we got?' Meredith recognised the woman instantly

'Thirty three year old female, dancer. Was in a lift when a previous injury to her elbow caused her to fall. She's complaining of pain in her left ribs but there's bruising on both sides. Her breathing is raspy and weak on her left side. BP ninety over sixty. Had three of morphine,'

'We got a name for her?'

'Meredith Shepherd,' Meredith watched as the doctor put her hands in the air.

'Hands off and page Shep and Burke, get them down here,' Meredith shook her head from side to side and took the mask off her face.

'No, don't please…he'll freak out,'

'Meredith, I need to call him,'

'Please…he's gonna freak,' Meredith closed her eyes as the door opened, Burke coming in on his own.

'Ok, some one tells Shep he's not needed. Make up some lie…just give us a chance to get her sorted,' Meredith took a sharp breath in as Burke pressed down on her side before he started to ultrasound it

'She's not punctured her lung, she bruised it and broke a rib. Let her sit up but keep her on oxygen,' Meredith groaned loudly, Burke pressing around her back.

'No feeling of any spinal movement or vertebrate movement. Ok take the collar off. Give her ten of morphine and get her into a gown,'

'If I don't have any burst lungs then I can get out of here,'

'Meredith a bruise lung is still serious as is a broken rib. You could get a collapsed lung, blood in your collapsed lung. You need to stay here for observation,'

'Then give me a phone…I'll tell him I'm working late and…staying at Greg's,'

'He's gonna see you here if it doesn't get round,'

'Then I'm going,'

'Some one page Shep,'

'Dr Bailey,'

'Look you can't leave here until you sign AMA form and I won't let you leave without some one with you,'

'Then I'll call Greg,'

'No such luck. You go home with Shep or you don't go at all,'

'Fine,' Meredith swung her legs round to the side of the bed, Bailey looking at her disapprovingly.

'Look you're calling Derek, at least let me look better than I actually am,' Meredith looked to the door, Derek running in.

'What happened?'

'Lift went wrong, I'm fine,'

'I'll look at your chart before I believe you,' Meredith rolled her eyes, Derek kissing her forehead. Running his eyes over the chart, he gently lifted her top, Derek sighing heavily to the sight of the bruises.

'I'm going home. I'll see you back there,' Meredith slipped down off the bed, Derek taking her weight.

'Mere, I want you to stay here tonight, just tonight so that they can keep an eye on you,'

'I'm going home,' Meredith steadied herself against the bed as she walked towards the door. She stopped Derek going up behind her as she fell to the side, Derek realising that she was unconscious, the blood coming out her mouth.

'Get Burke in here,'


	37. Shrimp

-1Derek sat watching Meredith, the minutes passing like hours. The tubes ran from her side, the blood being drained out her lungs. He lifted her chart off the end of the bed, checking every detail for the slightest sign of improvement.

'How long have you been here?' Derek turned, Mark standing at the door.

'Since she was brought in,'

'Which was?'

'Three days ago,'

'Go and get coffee, something to eat what ever, just get away from here for a couple of hours. I'll page you if she wakes up,'

'Mark,'

'Derek, go. I've got her back covered,' Derek nodded, his hand squeezing Meredith's as he left.

'She really knows how to get sick,' Mark looked to the door, Chris standing with Ben behind him.

'Yeah,'

'How bad is she?'

'She fell when she was doing a lift and cracked a couple of ribs. But she had bruised her lungs up pretty badly as well and they started bleeding. That's why she's in here. They're draining the blood. She is getting better but he just doesn't see it. he wants her up and dancing but it's not gonna happen for a couple of weeks at least,'

'But she will get better?' Mark shook his head from side to side.

'We just need to wait and see but she looks like she's getting there,'

'Good…that's good,' Mark looked up to the monitors, Meredith's heart rate increasing.

'Go out side and tell them to page Derek,'

'Why?'

'She's starting to wake up,' Chris and Ben stood outside; Derek running along to the room like there was no tomorrow.

'Mark?'

'her heart rates increased. She'll be awake soon,' Derek smiled and sat down next to the bed, taking hold of Meredith's hand. Meredith opened her eyes, her face grimacing to the pain.

'God that hurts,' Derek smiled and nodded, Meredith tilting her head to look at him.

'hey stranger,'

'How long have I been out?'

'Three days,' Meredith sighed, the pain evident as she moved.

'I'll go and get burke,'

'Stay with me…tell me everything that's happened,' Derek sat back down and entwined his fingers with Meredith's.

'My mom was threatening to kick your ass if you didn't wake up,'

'How's Anna?'

'That's her back here. Tina's came after her but Stacy's knocked crap out her twice so we don't expect to see her again,' Meredith lay looking at Derek, his eyes blood shot and his eyes puffed out.

'What about you?'

'Me?'

'Yeah, the guy I married not that long ago,' Derek smiled, his head falling.

'How bad was it?' Derek shook his head.

'Derek,'

'I thought you were gone…I thought it was all over, so did Bailey, when you passed out,'

'What happened?'

'You were bleeding into both your lungs, hence the drains. But there was blood running out your mouth, your lungs trying to get rid of it. Burke put chest drains and you've been out since,'

'I'm sorry,'

'It's not your fault,'

'I should have been more careful,'

'It's not your fault,' Meredith started coughing, Derek covering her mouth with the oxygen mask.

'Now…when can I get out of here,'

'Couple of days at least,'

'No, I hate hospitals,'

'Couple of days, five at most and then I promise you'll be home,'

'Five days?'

'Five days,'

'Swear to god I'll kick your ass if I'm in here any longer,'

'I give you permission to,' Meredith looked to the door Burke coming in and smiling at her.

'So your the guy filling me with drains and stuff to keep me breathing,'

'That would be me. Nice to meet you again, at least your gonna stay conscious this time,'

'Yeah,' Meredith winced as she lay on her back, Derek rubbing the back of her hand.

'There's two guys outside waiting to see you,' Meredith looked out the window, Chris and Ben standing looking in the window at her.

'You called them?'

'Nope, Greg did,'

'Shit, the show,'

'You've to completely forget about it. Meghan's back and…Ben says he'll do it until your up on your feet but they recon you'll not be dancing for a while, a month at least,'

'You're kidding me,'

'Just a month,'

'You have no idea what that sounds like. I've never not danced for more than twelve hours and that was because I was on a plane. I can't stop dancing, I always dance,'

'You nearly died Mere, you need to stop for a while,' Meredith looked to the ceiling, Derek kissing the back of her hand. She smiled at the touch, Burke looking at Derek.

'The drains empty on the right side and there's little going into the left except the saline we put in. plus her BP is up and her outputs have normalised along with the little blood leaving,'

'So she's nearly empty?'

'Yeah,' Meredith looked between the two.

'In English?'

'Your right lung is empty of blood and your left is nearly empty. But to try and dilute the blood they put a saline bag in which helped get rid of the blood quicker,'

'Does that mean I get to go home?'

'not today but we'll have a look in the morning,' Meredith smiled.

'Five days? Looks like I won't have to kick your ass,' Chris and Ben came in as Burke left, both of them petrified of the drains.

'I'm not gonna break,'

'I know but they might and I'm not risking that,'

'Ben, I might be getting home in the next couple of days so relax,'

'Really?'

'yeah. And thank you for taking on the show. It means a lot,'

'Yeah well, just means you owe me a very large gin and tonic,'

'I might even buy you two,' Meredith started coughing, Chris stepping back towards the door. She smiled.

'Chris, please relax, your making me nervous,'

'You look like shit Mere,' Derek laughed gently, Meredith smiling.

'I'm not feeling so hot either so at least you know it. come here,' Meredith put her arm around Chris's neck, hiding the sharp pains she was getting.

'I'm on the mend, relax and enjoy the fact you get to run rings around me and you can even turn my clothes pink without me finding them in the machine,'

'Hey that happened once and it was an accident, and you did the same to mine,'

'Yeah but I turned your clothes black. Not marshmallow pink,'

'I thought you looked cute,'

'I looked like a shrimp,'

'A very cute shrimp,'

'Yeah,'


	38. Your Mother

-1Derek eased Meredith down into the wheel chair, Meredith wincing with the pain.

'You in?' Meredith nodded her head, holding onto her side.

'Yeah,' she rubbed her hands together nervously as he pushed her through the hospital, Burke having let her home a couple of days early but with conditions and pain meds. She slowly walked into the apartment, Derek behind her holding her hands.

'You can go back to work if you need to,'

'I got a couple of weeks off, the chief saying you shouldn't be left on your own. Burke agreed with him,'

'So you're all mine for two weeks?'

'All yours. Now come on, bed,'

'No, couch, I can't lie in a bed for another five minutes,'

'Meredith,'

'Derek,'

'My mom will kill me when she shows up and you're lying on the couch,'

'I'll explain, protect you,' Derek nodded his head reluctantly. He took hold of Meredith's hands and eased her down gently, Meredith turning onto her side, Derek looked at her disapprovingly.

'What?'

'Burke said keep all weight off your sides, you know since you had two drains coming out of you,'

'Yeah fine whatever. I'll lie flat on my back for a month if you want but on one condition,'

'What?'

'You stay with me?' Derek smiled and nodded his head as Meredith sat forwards slightly, Derek in behind her. she held onto him, Derek noticing the fact she didn't move while she slept. The front door opened, Derek's mom sticking her head round the door.

'Hey, how is she?' Derek smiled as Cathy gently brushed Meredith's face with her hand.

'She's been sleeping for about four hours,'

'she looks tired,'

'Yeah,'

'She's on the mend though isn't she?'

'Yeah,' Derek eased himself out, Meredith stirring but instantly sleeping again. He covered her up, Cathy handing him a mug of coffee. She closed over the living room door, Derek sighing heavily as he slouched down onto the seat.

'How you doing?'

'I'm fine,'

'Derek, I'm your mother, I know you better than anyone else,'

'Yeah you do,'

'Yeah, so talk to me. I'm not just here for Meredith. I know this has been rough on you just as much. And I'll stay here as long as you both need me and I won't, under any circumstances be the pain in the ass of a mother that stays around more than she's needed,' Derek started laughing but his laugh turned, His mom noticing almost instantly the tears that were in his eyes.

'Derek,'

'She could have died, she would have died if she had left the hospital and now…now I'm worried that she's gonna get more blood in her lungs by just a bump or something like that. she gets any pressure put on her sides…the same thing could happen,'

'But she's smart and she knows this. She will be careful. I know for a fact that she won't be dancing for a while. Chris and Ben…they called me a couple of times, well they were calling for Anna and Lindsey but I always spoke to them. Ben is taking over the show and Chris is coming down with him for a couple of weeks so even when your working she won't get the chance to dance,'

'It could be as simple as she bumps her side in the shower,'

'But it might not happen. She is on the mend and she wouldn't have been let out of the hospital if Burke didn't think that she was fit. Just keep an eye on her and make sure she takes it easy and help her relax but also keep yourself ok. Don't go doing crazy stuff like you did with your father. Flying surgeons and all that in. she's on the mend and with the reputation of Burke I would say he is the best and if the best is saying that she's ok, then I would trust it,' Derek nodded his head, Cathy hugging him. Meredith coughing broke them apart, Derek getting up sharply and going through to look on her. she opened her eyes, Derek leaning down on the door frame looking at her.

'Hey,' Meredith's voice was croaky, Meredith moving slowly up. Derek eased her up, Cathy smiling broadly at her.

'Hey Meredith,'

'Cathy, hey. When did you get in?'

'Couple of hours ago. How you feeling?'

'Better,'

'You're a worse liar than he is,' Meredith smiled.

'Yeah, but I can sometimes convince him,'

'But not a lot of other people,'

'yeah,' Derek supported Meredith, him and Cathy watching Meredith for the smallest sign of pain. Little did they know about the real pain she was in.


	39. My Plan

-1Meredith closed the flat door over quietly, hoping she wouldn't wake Derek. The studio was lit up by the moonlight, Meredith watching as her shadow danced across the room. She ran her fingers over the piano, the sound sweet to her. her fingers moved across the keys easily, Meredith closing her eyes and still able to play. She started to play amazed, the memory of her wedding coming back. she smiled and remembered the dance she and Chris had done in the middle of the reception, Chris having taken a pair of white trousers and shirt for her to change into. The studio door creaked open, Meredith continuing to play.

'Your supposed to be in bed sleeping,'

'I've been sleeping the past three weeks,' Derek sat next to Meredith.

'What's wrong?' Meredith looked up at Derek.

'These past weeks…it's like I'm seeing what you saw. People fussing around you, trying to make life easy but in reality not giving you the chance to breath. You've been amazing, your not who I'm talking about. Chris thinks that every cough is me dying and runs to my side, taking a glass out my hand, making me sit down, asking if I want him to call an ambulance when I'm fine. It was the same with you,'

'Yeah but if it hadn't been for those people, I wouldn't be able to walk. This is different. You couldn't breath on your own. I could. When Chris is running to your side it's because he's been reading up on what can happen,'

'What?'

'I caught him with medical journals in the living room the other week. He was fast asleep. He knows that your lung could collapsed or your bruising could burst again. He's petrified that your just gonna stop breathing,'

'As long as I'm with you…I'll always be breathing,' Derek smiled and kissed Meredith's forehead.

'You know…burke said I was ok when I went for the check up this morning,'

'And?' Meredith turned to face Derek.

'He says I'm fine,' Derek lifted Meredith up, her legs dangling over his arm.

'Until your dancing again, no way,'

'Oh come on, you can't be serious,'

'Six days, then you will be able to dance,'

'Six days is ages away,' Derek leaned down and gently kissed Meredith, her hands holding his face close to hers.

'I promise I'll make it worth the wait,' Meredith nodded her head reluctantly, her arms holding onto Derek as she fell asleep. Meredith leaned across the bed, Derek's side empty. She climbed out the bed and stood at the bedroom door. She could hear Derek talking, his voice in an angry whisper.

'What the hell is your problem? Is it not enough that you cheated on my sister that now your taking her business? Are you serious? She fucking runs that place and you…what? The fact she can keep her underwear on...no way, you don't get to pull stunts like that with her. she has done nothing but support you and keep you living with her for what…you think I'm being harsh? You didn't hear the woman that you wanted to marry say down the phone to you that she had a woman between her thighs…yeah she sent him round but if that was anything…no, you are not gonna take the business off her,' Derek slammed the phone shut, Meredith coming up behind him placing her hands on his arms

'What's up?' Derek sighed heavily.

'Tina is taking the business off Anna and moving over to Seattle,'

'What? she can't do that?'

'Yes she can and she's gonna fight for it,' Meredith looked at Derek.

'Call Anna, tell her to move seventy five percent of the money into a new account. Take all her contact lists and any existing clients or jobs she got. Phone them all, tell them it's the same company, new name, number and address but same people,'

'You've done this before?'

'Jason, we owned a dance studio together. He wanted it all. My lawyer said only seventy five percent would keep me out of court, claiming that some law said seventy five percent was mine since I was the one leaving,'

'You get she's gonna love you for that?' Meredith smiled

'All the better then. Tina won't get anything through a court as long as she keeps it at seventy five percent and gets all her existing and current clients. She can't tap phones for new ones but any existing ones she can claim that she brought to the company and are rightfully hers since she was doing the work,'

'I'll call her now. Why are you up?'

'Your side of the bed was cold,' Derek smiled and kissed Meredith's head.

'I'll be back in soon, just let me call Anna, sort this bitch out,'

'Derek, don't let her ruin what Anna's worked for but don't go doing anything crazy like booking flights to Europe or running off to kill her,'

'Why?'

'Cause that's my plan,'


	40. Good Reason

-1Meredith pushed the stage door open, the whole cast erupting into cheers. She laughed, Ben pulling her over into the middle of the floor.

'What are you doing here?'

'I was given the all clear this morning, this being my first port of call to see what you've done,'

'What I've done?'

'Just checking that you don't have them dancing around in tutus and stuff like that, I know you,' Ben smiled softly. Meredith put her bag down at the side and walked over to the corner of the room. Dylan stood looking down at his hands, Meredith taking hold of them.

'I'm ok and what happened wasn't your fault,'

'I should have held onto you tighter,'

'I have an old injury to my elbow that causes it to give way. You had no way of knowing that, it wasn't your fault and to prove it, your gonna lift me, the way you were trying to when I fell,'

'No, no way,'

'Dylan, lift me, the way you were when I fell. I need you to do this for me,' Dylan looked around the room and nodded his head.

'OK, now you have a choice. In front of everyone, or in a side room,'

'in front of everyone. Means if something happens, someone might catch you,'

'Ok, it's your choice,' Meredith closed her eyes as she went up, her arm supporting her entire weight on his hand. She could see him smiling, knowing now that he could do this and that he never caused the fall. Ben was standing beside them, waiting to catch her if she fell. She came down slowly, her arms around Dylan's neck.

'I knew you could do it,'

'Thank you,' Meredith lined them all up and watched the routines over and over again, making small changes.

'Ben, you have done me proud,'

'Like I wouldn't,'

'No seriously, thank you for this. You saved my skin when you took this on,'

'Like you haven't done the same for in the past, dancing classes,'

'Yeah but you were seriously ill, like dying ill,'

'So were you,'

'Yeah well I got better in a couple of days, you took months. Don't think I don't know what you were up to, checking out all the doctors,' Ben nodded as Meredith left, giving him the chance to rehearse the show over and over again. Meredith opened the apartment door, Derek walking out from the bathroom.

'Hey, how you feeling?' Meredith threw her bag down on the floor and looked at Derek. She smiled, pushing him down onto the couch.

'I am feeling the way I did six days ago when you said that if I waited you would make it worth my while,' Derek smiled and sat up straight, Meredith sitting on his thighs facing him.

'I did, didn't i?' Meredith pressed her body against his, his hands easing her shirt over her head. The bruising was gone, the tiny incisions burke had made healed up. He lifted her up, her legs wrapped around his waist. she pulled him over her, his lips working around her body. She lifted her body towards him, Derek holding her back. His name made it's way out her lips with every movement made between the two of them.

'Ok, like seriously, you so made that worth the wait,' they started laughing, Meredith wrapping them up in the white sheets. Derek ran his fingers over the tattoo, Meredith loving the feeling.

'How does a weekend away sound?' Meredith looked up.

'Seriously?'

'Why not?'

'It's something called work,'

'Look, you've just spent the last month getting back up on your feet. I have done so many extra shifts that the chief is telling me to take the time back, so I thought that we could disappear for a weekend,' Meredith nodded her head.

'Ok, where?'

'Where do you want to go?'

'I don't know, it was your idea to go away,'

'But it's for you,'

'Me? Why me?'

'Cause your amazing and I want to spend stupid amounts of money,'

'That's always a good reason,'


	41. Dad

-1Meredith followed the smells into the kitchen as she woke up. She laughed as Derek looked over his shoulder, Meredith coming up behind him and putting her hands on top of his.

'This doesn't mean that you're cooking by the way,'

'When does your mom get back?'

'Next week so we have the house until then,'

'Anna and Carol?'

'They are staying with her the extra week,' Meredith leaned up, gently kissing Derek.

'Feels kina strange being back here…not having the studio, your mom being away,'

'Yeah?' Meredith sat up on the counter, nervously playing with her hands.

'What's up?'

'Nothing. Why?'

'You seem like something's bothering you,'

'Nope, everything is fine,' Meredith sat at the table, pushing the flood around on the plate, Derek watching her.

'Ok, out with it,'

'What?'

'You're not telling me something,'

'Like what?'

'You tell me,' Meredith sighed heavily and pulled her leg up to her chest, her head resting on her knee.

'Come on, what's wrong?'

'It's not that something's wrong…it's more I don't know how to tell and I have no idea how your gonna react and that makes me unsure,'

'Unsure about what?'

'Wither I should tell you now or later, when we can talk,'

'We can't talk now?'

'Not when some one is at the front door,'

'I'll get rid of them,'

'No, don't, it can wait,'

'Liar,' Meredith held onto Derek's waist as he kissed her on the forehead lightly.

'Is it serious?'

'Yes and no. now go and answer the door,' Meredith bit into the toast, looking round over her shoulder to see Derek signing for a package.

'Who's it for?'

'Anna,' Derek threw it down on the side board and sat down facing Meredith.

'So what's wrong?' Meredith took a deep breath in and let the words fall out her mouth.

'I'm pregnant,' Derek sat silently, Meredith looking at him for some sort of reaction.

'Derek?' he stood in front of her and pulled her up to her feet. She smiled as he lifted her up, the two of them laughing.

'You should have told me,'

'I didn't know how,' Meredith wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. She pushed him up against the wall, the two of them removing the little clothes they did have on. They stumbled up the stairs, falling into the bedroom. Meredith arched against Derek, his hands pushing down onto hers. She pushed back, the two of them rolling. She sat on his hips, her hair falling around her face.

'You are incredible, you get that right?' Meredith nodded her head but turned her head sharply as the front door was rattled.

'Shit,' Meredith pulled the sheet around herself, Derek pulling his sweat pants on and the first shirt he could grab. Meredith covered her mouth as he came back into the room, the leaflet on the new Chinese restaurant in his hands.

'At least it wasn't your mom,' Derek climbed back onto the bed, Meredith laughing as his lips traced their way across her stomach.

'Yeah,' Meredith sat up, her and Derek facing each other with the sheets around their waists.

'I can't believe that I'm pregnant,'

'it seems like yesterday we were talking about it,'

'You get that we have to stay here until your mom gets back now…tell her,'

'She is gonna be so excited. She won't stop screaming, maybe even some,' Meredith looked at Derek, his hand going to his thigh.

'What's wrong?'

'Nothing,' Meredith pulled the sheets back, Derek's leg contracting.

'Really looks like nothing,' She started rubbing it, the muscle starting to relax. She smiled at him, Derek seeming to be embarrassed.

'Derek,'

'It's like just after the accident, my leg contracting, it's like after the accident,' Meredith smiled and pushed him down onto the bed.

'But you know what's not like the accident?'

'What?' Meredith leaned down and whispered in his ear.

'Your gonna be a dad in seven months time,'


	42. ET

-1Meredith wrapped the large grey jumper around her body and hid her head underneath the hood of it. she pulled it up over her knees, her feet just sticking out from underneath the bottom of it.

'You look like ET,' Meredith looked out from underneath it and smiled at Derek.

'Your mom was in such a good mood last night after we told her. Stacy and Karen were so drunk,'

'They were singing when Anna was putting them up in the bed. Did you not hear them?'

'I was gone. Anna is so pissed that Tina's here,'

'She's gonna get what's coming to her, I swear,'

'Derek, now I told you killing her was my plan. Get your own,'

'Yeah yeah,' Meredith started smiling.

'Still can't get over how happy your mom was,'

'She's always wanted grand kids. This is her first. I was trying to preserve my eardrums for as long as possible but she still seems to have burst them,' Meredith smiled, Derek taking the opportunity to put the slice of toast in her mouth.

'You look like ET from behind,' Meredith took the hood down, her hair everywhere as she looked at Lindsey.

'He said the same,'

'ET was very cute,' Meredith stood up and walked over to the sink, her toes curling up as she walked across the cold stone floor.

'True, I am very cute,' the two women looked at Derek and burst out laughing.

'What? I am very cute,'

'Yeah, whatever ET,' Meredith leaned down on the counter, Derek looking at her.

'You ok?'

'It's something called being pregnant, you know that thing you got me?'

'You were so not complaining at the time,' Lindsey coughed loudly the two of them smiling at her.

'So should not have eaten that toast,' Meredith let her head fall, Derek easing her over to the seat behind her.

'Like I could seriously kick your ass for that,'

'what did I do to you?'

'Make her sick, I don't do sick Meredith…it's just ew,'

'You're what? thirty five and you don't do sick people?'

'I deal with people smelling of burning flesh,'

'Ok, can we stop with the burning flesh talk, not so good for the gag reflex here,' Derek kissed her forehead, Meredith pushing him away as she made her way to the toilet.

'Like seriously, you so deserve to be puked on,' Meredith leant back against the bath, Derek behind her.

'Yeah, I know,' Meredith pulled the door open as the small chap came though.

'are you alright?'

'Just morning sickness,' Cathy handed Meredith a glass with a cloudy liquid in it.

'When I was pregnant, every morning I drank this and I never had morning sickness,'

'What is it?'

'lime and soda water,'

'Seriously? You drank this while you were pregnant with me?'

'And the girls. Stacy was the worst. Right up until I was five months with her,' Meredith took the glass, the taste surprising her.

'That will stop the sickness. But you need to eat something, stops the soda water coming back on you,' Meredith smiled gratefully at Cathy, Cathy leaving her and Derek alone.

'You don't realise how much I love your mom for that,' Derek stood up, pulling Meredith to her feet. She gently kissed him, Meredith leaning against him. The bathroom door opened, Lindsey standing breathing heavily.

'You need to come with me,'

'Linds?'

'It's Anna,' Derek followed Lindsey down and stood behind Cathy as Anna and Tina yelled at each other in the drive way.

'Why are we watching this and not stopping this?'

'Cause Anna I so kicking her ass,' Derek closed the door over, Cathy, Karen, Lindsey and Stacy looking at him.

'They don't need an audience for that,' Lindsey, Stacy and Karen grumbled, Meredith following them into the kitchen. Cathy nodded her head at Derek.

'She may not need an audience but she needs someone to watch her back Derek,' Derek recognised the look his mother gave him and opened the door. Tina and Anna were standing feet away from each other, their voices quiet now. Anna's went forward, her hand meeting Tina's face.

'YOU WHORE,' Derek went forward, pulling Anna away as Tina put the punch into her face.

'ROT IN HELL,' Derek slammed the door shut, Anna seeming to collapse into his arms.

'What did she say?'

'She's been seeing her for two years…two years,' Derek lifted her up and carried her up the stairs, Cathy coming up the stairs behind him. he put the ice pack on her face, Anna pulling it straight off.

'This is pointless,'

'Anna, it'll take the swelling down and stop a bruise forming,'

'What's the point though? Not like anyone's gonna see it,'

'Anna, this is a medical issue. I'm telling you to keep the ice on your face so that your not gonna have a huge bruise and swelling,'

'I can live with that,' Anna pushed Derek and Cathy out the room and lifted her jacket off the banister.

'Anna,'

'I'm going for coffee,'

'There's coffee in the machine,'

'I'm going to the office,'

'it's Sunday,'

'I'm going to church,'

'Your not catholic,'

'I am now,'


	43. I Can't Dance

**I have a major apology on my profile. Please read it. I mean every single word XD**

Meredith eased herself into the couch, Chris watching her.

'I'm not gonna break,'

'Your six months pregnant,'

'Chris, I'm fine,' Meredith looked around, Chris sitting next to her.

'Derek and Ben are at the store,' Meredith sighed and played with her ring nervously.

'When I had the miscarriage…I just pushed it to the side, forgot all about it. Jason never gave a crap. Robin…before he died, he found out. That was why we went away for a couple of weeks. He had found out about it. it nearly destroyed him. now,'

'How far along were you?'

'Five months,' Chris nodded his head.

'Hence the reason you refused to do anything during the fifth month,'

'Yeah. I just…I could imagine it happening and…and I didn't want Derek to get hurt…or for me to loose him,'

'The miscarriage wasn't your fault,'

'I was dancing when it happened…when I lost the baby,'

'That doesn't mean it was your fault. Derek wouldn't leave you and you wouldn't loose him. He loves you more than you could believe or even imagine. I know this for a fact by the way,' Meredith laughed gently.

'I believe you on that one,'

'It's not really something that you can make up,'

'That's true,'

'You have no idea how happy he is that your pregnant. God you can't shut him up when you go to bed,'

'Seriously?'

'All he talks about is ideas of taking time off work, looking after you. He's…he's never been so happy before and he loves every minute of it. You should be too,'

'I am…kind of,'

'Meredith,'

'I've never been more than five months and I'm petrified what's gonna happen. Even after the baby's born. I mean, when do I go back to work? How the hell am I supposed to loose the baby weight?'

'The way you loose all your other weight that you've ever had, however little of it you have had. You dance it off. I know when you have this baby, your not gonna be out that studio and neither is that baby. They'll be dancing alongside you,'

'What about you? You gonna be dancing along side me?' Chris shook his head.

'I can't dance anymore,'

'What?'

'The dermatomyositis has wasted away my muscle. I'm already using a crutch on bad days so it won't be long before I'm in a chair,'

'You can't be serious?'

'I already have the chair being made for me,' Meredith hugged Chris, Chris surprised at how upset she was.

'I've had my dancing career. I've done my championships. I'm ready now. Plus I'm not stopping entirely. I still get to choreograph shows. You have no idea how much they are screaming out for ex dancers to perform as choreographers,'

'How are you?'

'How am I gonna dance and show them what to do?'

'Yeah,'

'That's what all the crap talk is for,' Meredith smiled.

'I hate using it. I say move your foot over there and they all do it but when you say do a three jump back step they all look at you like you're an alien,'

'Well they are really gonna love me. Not only can I not show them, that's the only talk I'm gonna use,'

'But you are the best so it's ok,'

'That is true,' Meredith took hold of his hand.

'I'm always here if you need me to be,'

'I know Mere,' Meredith sat forward in the couch and put Chris's hand on the top of her bump. The small flutter came through, Chris lighting up to the touch.

'Be grateful, I only let people I like have a feel,'


	44. Addison

Meredith walked round the empty house, the boxes stacked up against the walls. She smiled as Derek's hands slipped round her waist.

'How you feeling?' Meredith looked round the room and then to Derek.

'Very happy,' Derek lifted the box off the top of the pile and opened it.

'What are you looking for?' Meredith smiled as Derek pulled the duvet out the box. He spread it out on the bed mattress that lay on the floor. She leaned back against him, the pillows all around them.

'We were mad for moving now,'

'What makes you say that?'

'Your seven months pregnant, heavily at that,' Meredith slapped Derek's hand.

'I am not heavy,'

'Your carrying another person, you're allowed to be heavy,'

'It's strange to think that in two months we're gonna have another person in our lives. It's been only us up until now and it's…its just weird to think that there's gonna be some one else,'

'Yeah,'

'You don't sound so sure,'

'I…I never thought about it like that, like another person,' Meredith looked over to the kitchen counter, Derek's pager vibrating.

'You're off work,'

'It might not be work,' Meredith raised her eyebrows at Derek.

'It's Stacy. See, I knew it wouldn't be work,' Derek turned back to face Meredith, her hands on her bump causing him to panic.

'What's wrong?' Meredith didn't say anything, Derek kneeling down in front of her.

'Meredith.'

'It's too soon…this can't happen now…it's too soon for this,' Derek took hold of her hands and pulled her up to her feet.

'Where does it hurt?' Meredith put his hands on the top of her bump and then to the side.

'Ok, we're gonna get you to the hospital, get you checked over. It could be nothing but Braxton hicks,' Meredith nodded her head, praying that it was nothing but Braxton hicks. She rubbed her stomach round in circles, every five minutes the pain hitting her. she stepped out the car but stopped suddenly, the fear in her eyes.

'Mere,'

'My water broke,' Derek nodded.

'Ok, this can be sorted,'

'How can this be sorted?' Meredith paced up and down the room, nothing but fear pulsing through her.

'Meredith,'

'It's too soon,'

'Meredith, they can stop this,'

'My water,' Meredith leaned down on the table, Derek coming up behind her. she stood up straight. The door opened, Meredith smiling at the brunette.

'Hey Shep. You two aren't supposed to be here for another two months,'

'Tell me you can reverse it,' The smiled weakened from Hannah's face, Meredith's head falling.

'If your water hadn't broken, there might have been a chance but now…now they will be born within the next six hours,'

'Why the next six?'

'The baby wouldn't survive a natural birth. I've booked the OR,'

'There's no way that they could survive a natural birth?' Hannah shook her head, Meredith taking a sharp breath in and putting her weight on the table.

'Is Addison in?'

'She's gonna perform the C section. They won't let me loose just yet,' Derek smiled and went over to Meredith. she looked up, the tears threatening to spill over.

'It's ok. Addison is the best at what she does. She knows what she's doing,'

'They're too hurt,'

'They can help them, get them started. I know they can do this,' Meredith leaned back against Derek on the bed, Addison checking on her.

'We're just about to take you down so,'

'Can Derek…can he…come with me?'

'No, not with this type of section. But I'll make sure that he knows what's happening every step of the way,'


	45. Charlie Ellis Shepherd

Meredith opened her eyes slowly, the pain slicing through her stomach.

'Hey,' she tilted her head to the side, Derek sitting watching her.

'Hey,' Meredith smiled, Derek kissing her gently on the lips.

'How did it go?' Derek's face broke out into a smile.

'You want to see for yourself?' Meredith nodded her head, Derek pushing her down to the neonatal ward.

'What are you doing out of bed?'

'He made me,' Addison smiled and held the door open, Meredith sitting forward in the wheel chair.

'You have a small but healthy three pounds nine ounces, baby girl,' Meredith put her hand into the incubator, her finger being wrapped in the tiny baby's hand.

'She's beautiful,' Derek nodded his head, Meredith pulling him down closer.

'How's she been?'

'Amazing,'

'We're keeping an eye on her. Her lungs are a little but on the small side but it's nothing to be overly concerned about. We've got her on oxygen and we have a ventilator standing by in case she needs it. We'll keep her in the hospital until she reaches four and a half pounds. Then, if everything checks out, you can take her home. I'm gonna have a look, see if I can't get her up beside you,' Meredith had switched off to what Addison had said, her only thoughts on the tiny person in front of her. She sat back in the wheel chair, her hand still in the incubator.

'Did you call your mom?'

'Yeah,'

'What did she say?'

'I think she really did burst my ear drums,' Derek sat on the stool next to Meredith.

'We need to give her a name,' Derek nodded.

'You got any suggestions?' Meredith shook her head and smiled at Derek.

'I never thought. You?'

'I just wanted to make sure you were ok,' Meredith took hold of his hand.

'And you did. Yeah she might be a bit early but, it's a good thing,'

'Good thing?'

'No more three am wake up calls for vanilla ice cream with mustard,'

'that guy thought I was a complete weirdo going in for mustard at three in the morning,' Meredith nodded her head.

'Charlie,' Derek looked at Meredith.

'What?'

'Charlie, after your dad,' Derek looked back into the incubator and smiled.

'Yeah. Ellis?'

'Charlie Ellis Shepherd,' The two of them exchanged looks, the name of their first child decided. Meredith winced in the chair, Derek looking at her.

'You ok?'

'Yeah, I'm fine, a bit sore but fine,' Derek took hold of her hand, Meredith pulling the chair closer towards him.

'What about you?'

'Me?'

'Yeah, you? You know the guy, whose now got a daughter,' Derek started brimming with pride.

'Yeah, you know what I'm talking about,' Derek smiled, Meredith easing herself up and supporting herself on his shoulder and the incubator roof.

'You should be sitting down, not standing up,'

'I have never sat down for more than an hour in my life, pain or no pain,'

'you should still be sitting down,' Meredith leaned down on the incubator and gently placed her hand inside. She grazed Charlie's head, and watched her, her tiny chest rising and falling.

'she's so tiny,'

'She's doing really well,' Meredith looked up to the door, Addison leaning against the frame. She pointed to the now sleeping Derek, her lips curling up into a smile.

'Sleeping beauty?'

'An hour,'

'He's been up all night with her, wouldn't sleep for fear of missing something,'

'He's been amazing,' Addison came over to the side of the incubator, Charlie starting to cough and gag on the intubations tube. Addison gently pulled it out, Charlie letting out a small cry.

'Hey baby…hey,'

'Look, I think we should wake up daddy and let him and mommy hold you, how does that sound?' Meredith looked up to Addison, the smile on Addison's face.

'We'll put on an oxygen mask and you can hold her,' Addison eased Meredith into the chair, Derek waking up suddenly.

'What's wrong?' Meredith took hold of his hand, Derek kneeling down next to her.

'We get to hold her,' Derek watched in amazement, Charlie wrapped up in the blanket, her face only just visible over the top of it. Addison stepped back and watched as the newly made family came together for the first time, and that they knew this was forever.


End file.
